Naomi Campbell kicks tabloid ass

[Josh]

Campbell triumphed over Britain's Daily Mirror Thursday in an invasion of privacy appeal against the tabloid, which reported on Campbell's drug counseling complete with pics of her leaving a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.


Britain's highest court, the Law Lords, ruled 3-2 that Campbell's privacy had indeed been invaded and reversed a lower court decision that ordered her to cough up more than $600,000 for the newspaper's legal fees.


Campbell made a personal court appearance in February as part of her bid to reverse an October 2002 Appeal Court ruling that the Daily Mirror's tell-all tale was "justifiable in the public interest" because Campbell had previously passed herself to the media off as a drug-free beauty.


"Miss Campbell is delighted by today's verdict," her lawyer Keith Schilling told reporters. "This not only vindicates her personally, but more importantly it represents a real advancement for the rights of people to maintain important elements of their privacy, particularly when relating to therapy."


The brunette babe was not present in court today.


It was a shocking turn of events for the tab and its ink-stained counterparts, who have traditionally enjoyed lenient privacy laws and minimal damages under English law.


"This is a very good day for lying, drug-abusing prima donnas who want to have their cake with the media, and the right to then shamelessly guzzle it with their Cristal champagne," Mirror editor Piers Morgan said in a statement.


"If ever there was a less deserving case for creating what is effectively a back-door privacy law it would be Miss Campbell--but that's showbiz," he added.


Campbell sued the British tab following its February 2001 addiction expos, claiming it breached her right to confidentiality and invaded her right to privacy in publishing the details of her treatment.


In April 2002, the High Court ordered the paper to pay Campbell $6,280 in damages and cover her court costs, said to be in the $300,000 range. But the decision was overturned on appeal six months later and Campbell was ordered to cover the newspaper's court fees, estimated at $670,000.


This time around, the judges sided with Campbell, saying, "Despite the weight that must be given to the right of freedom of expression that the press needs if it is to play its role effectively, I would hold that there was here an infringement to Miss Campbell's right to privacy that cannot be justified."


One order of layer cake and Cristal coming up.