Five newspapers yesterday agreed to pay substantial libel damages to Julia Kushnir, the woman who survived the crash in Moscow in which Liam Lawlor died, a day after evidence emerged to show there was no justification for describing her as a prostitute.
The Moscow police press office told a journalist working for the Sunday Independentand Observerin the immediate aftermath of Mr Lawlor's death in 2005 that Ms Kushnir was "just an acquaintance" of the dead politician and there was no evidence that she was a prostitute, according to a transcript of the recorded conversation provided to her lawyers on Monday.
The Irish Sunday Mirrorsettled with Ms Kushnir on the same day for €100,000, and yesterday the Sunday Independent, Irish Independent, Sunday Tribuneand Sunday Worldfollowed suit. The damages agreed in the latter cases were not disclosed but are understood to be about €100,000 per newspaper.
Earlier this year, Ms Kushnir, an interpreter based in Prague, settled a sixth action against the Observernewspaper for about €100,000. The newspapers will also have to pay the costs of the proceedings.
Lawyers for the Sunday World, Sunday Independentand the Sunday Tribuneapologised to Ms Kushnir in court yesterday. They said articles which alleged Mr Lawlor had been with a prostitute when he was killed were totally false and grossly unfair to Ms Kushnir and her family. The newspapers said they were happy to confirm that Ms Kushnir was a very respectable woman and never had any involvement whatsoever with prostitution.
Ms Kushnir cried as the apologies were read out. She declined to comment afterwards but her solicitor said she was "very glad to have had this painful and difficult time concluded". She now wanted to "move on" and complete her legal studies in Prague.
Witnesses had travelled from abroad to give evidence in the cases, and members of the Lawlor family were also due to be called.
