Update — Aretha Franklin Suing Over ‘Fist Fight’ Story
Let me make this perfectly clear to Aretha Franklin's lawyers. I printed a retraction.
Whew! Looks like I was far from the only one to get suckered in by the Aretha Franklin - Patti LaBelle fist fight story. The story got so much attention that Aretha is suing the original source of that story for $10 million!
To refresh your (and Aretha's lawyers) collective memories, here are the two stories I posted about the fight.
According to Rolling Stone:
Patti LaBelle did not punch Aretha Franklin, and the latter soul diva wants the website that wrote a fake story "for entertainment purposes" to pay up for spreading the rumor. Franklin has filed a $10 million lawsuit against the humor site the News Nerd, according to The Detroit News. "The stories were not presented as satire or humor," she said through her publicist. "It was presented as a serious news story intended to depict me in a slanderous and derogatory way – defamation of character."
Also According to Rolling Stone, Aretha issued a total denial of the fight AND of any trouble between herself and Patti LaBelle.
"Patti and I are cool and we always have been. I enjoyed her at the White House. Classic Patti."
Here is the complete article regarding the lawsuit: