Gossip site MediaTakeOut has published a retraction after Kim Kardashian West threatened a libel lawsuit against the website and its founder, Fred Mwangaguhunga.
It was widely reported earlier this month that the reality television star was held up at gunpoint in Paris by five masked men who robbed her of about $10 million worth of jewelry. Articles posted on MediaTakeOut suggested that Kardashian West had staged the robbery and filed a fraudulent insurance claim for $5.6 million.
The retraction states that MediaTakeOut “regrettably published a series of false stories,” acknowledges that Kardashian West “was in fact robbed in Paris,” and then goes on to say that the site has permanently removed all stories that suggest otherwise.
Mwangaguhunga told CNN Money, “Our number one goal is to produce the most accurate information as quickly as possible and we did that.” He maintained that MediaTakeOut’s sources were reputable, though he added, “It’s now clear that she was robbed. It’s clear that the reporting we did hurt her, and we certainly don’t want that to be what we do.”
“We sincerely apologize to Mrs. Kardashian West and her family for the false stories we published and regret suggesting that what happened to her in Paris was anything less than horrific,” MediaTakeOut wrote. “We are pleased that this matter has been resolved to satisfaction of all the parties.” Kardashian West’s lawyer, Andrew Brettler, told CNN Money that she is dropping her lawsuit against the website.
MediaTakeOut could not immediately be reached for comment.