Local : Newton to Accept Libel Award

Wayne Newton said today he will accept a $6-million libel award in his long-running lawsuit against NBC, saying he feels vindicated from a nearly 9-year-old report that linked him to the Mafia.

“This was not a matter of money,” the entertainer told reporters at a morning news conference. “This was a matter of vindication of my name.” Newton’s attorney, Morton Galane, said the interest accrued on the reduced $5.3 million award now brings it to $6 million. “Such an award would be higher than any (libel) award ever affirmed by an appellate court in the United States,” he said.