Sharon Osbourne Wins Damages Over Ozzy Article

SHARON OSBOURNE WINS DAMAGES OVER OZZY ARTICLE:

January 15, 2009

Talent TV show judge Sharon Osbourne won a public apology and substantial libel damages on Thursday after a newspaper said she was driving her rock star husband Ozzy “to destruction.”

Her lawyer John Kelly told London’s High Court that the allegations in Rupert Murdoch’s Sun tabloid in October, 2007, were “entirely without foundation” and “obviously extremely distressing, hurtful and damaging,” according to the Press Association.

He said the article claimed that Sharon, who was not in court, was “driving her frail husband Ozzy Osbourne to destruction” and was working him “so hard she will kill him.”

It also alleged that she was forcing him to perform a series of live shows when he was not well enough in order to fund her exorbitant spending.

Patrick Callaghan, lawyer for News Group Newspapers, said it apologized and accepted the allegations were untrue. The company has also agreed to pay Osbourne’s costs. The company is ultimately owned by Murdoch’s News Corp.

Osbourne, 56, is a fixture of reality TV, and has appeared as a judge on the show “America’s Got Talent” and British show “The X Factor,” as well as shows that depict her life as the wife of heavy metal icon Ozzy.

Courtesy of www.reuters.com