Star Stands By Its Britney Beaten Story
When Star and Radar published the accusations and tape of Britney Spears saying she had been beaten by her boyfriend Jason Trawick, the Spears came was ready. First they denied the beating story and they then trotted out some experts who said the recording is not even Britney. That is a pretty powerful force, but Star is standing by their story. Not like they have much choice, but I think they wanted to send the message to Britney's camp that if they come a knockin' with a lawsuit that Star has some cards they have not played yet.
"Star magazine stands by its story that Britney Spears told her ex-husband, Jason Alexander, that her boyfriend, Jason Trawick, beat her. In a taped phone conversation lasting for more than one hour, Ms. Spears can be heard repeatedly telling Mr. Alexander how Mr. Trawick "went crazy" and hit her, giving her a black eye. Mr. Alexander passed a polygraph test administered by Star, where he was specifically asked, 'Did you record a phone conversation that you had with Britney Spears?' Moreover, there is information in the tape, which Star may reveal at a later date, that would be known only by Ms. Spears."
A couple of things here. This whole polygraph thing is something the tabloids love because that pretty much guarantees a win for the tabloids. The law for a public figure is that Star or any other tabloid can only be liable for libel if they published something knowing it was false or with reckless disregard to its truth. If someone passes a lie detector test, then it is very difficult for a public figure to overcome those hurdles. I guess you could argue Jason Trawick is not a public figure, and then the standard for Jason to win would be lower, but he is probably a public figure.
What Star is really saying in that last sentence is, "don't mess with us, or we will release something that proves it was you." So, if you don't see a lawsuit in the next few weeks, then I guess Star won the battle of wills.
