The publisher of the British tabloid Daily Mail has apologized to Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling for publishing a false story about her life as a single mother.
Back in January, Rowling filed a libel lawsuit against the Daily Mail and its publisher, Associated Newspapers, for publishing a story with the headline “How JK Rowling’s sob story about her past as a single mother has left the churchgoers who cared for her upset and bewildered” in November 2013.
The story claimed that Rowling was the target of insults at her church because she was a single mother. Rowling’s attorneys said that the Daily Mail and the writer of the story never tried to call her to double-check on the story, which was published after Rowling wrote an essay about being a single parent.
According to the Guardian, the Daily Mail did admit to a mistake in January and issued an apology. However, Associated Newspapers argued against having to pay a settlement. Now though, the publisher has issued another apology and confirmed that it agreed pay Rowling “substantial damages,” with the author plans to donate to charity.
Associated Newspapers noted that Rowling was only writing about one particular incident where she was treated cruelly at the church and it was not a recurring incident.