Naomi Campbell Sues British Newspaper Over ‘Elephant Polo’ Story

Naomi Campbell is suing a British newspaper for libel over an story claiming that she organized an elephant polo tournament in India.

The Guardian reports that Campbell is suing the Daily Telegraph over an article they published on November 3 that stated that the model organized an elephant polo match in Jodhpur.

A spokeswoman for Campbell has denied the claim as “completely untrue.”

The Daily Telegraph article, titled “Elephant polo at Campbell party criticized,”claimed that celebrities at a party hosted by Campbell for her partner — Russian billionaire Vladislav Doronin — played the tournament in three-a-side teams.

The Hollywood Reporter notes that the online version of the Daily Telegraph’s story has since been removed from the Telegraph’s website.

Reportedly, Campbell filed her libel claim against the Telegraph Media Group, the publishers of the Daily Telegraph, at a high court in London on December 5.

The Guardian reports that London law firm, Michael Simkins LLP, have been instructed to act on behalf of Campbell.

Gideon Benaim, a partner at Michael Simkins LLP, said in a public statement:

“We have issued legal proceedings on behalf of Ms Campbell against the Telegraph, who were the original publishers of these allegations. We are instructed to pursue this matter until it is satisfactorily resolved.

“The allegations caused damage to our client, apart from the widespread repetition of the allegations, there were also protests outside the venue, and Indian government departments who wrote to us.

“However, it seems to me that government authorities and animal welfare groups in India were simply reacting to the untrue claims that had been made. The simple truth is that there was no plan for elephant polo. Ms Campbell did not cancel it because it was never going to happen in the first place. We have as yet no idea where the false claims originated from, perhaps the Telegraph will let us know in due course.”

So far, the Telegraph Media Group declined to comment, reports The Guardian.