International

Leonardo DiCaprio is suing the French magazine Oops for alleging he’s having a baby with Rihanna, Gossip Cop is exclusively reporting. In French court papers obtained only by Gossip Cop, DiCaprio’s legal team notes that the actor was in France during the Cannes Film Festival when he found out about the cover of Oops, which claimed that he’s not only the father of Rihanna’s baby, but he also will not want anything to do with the child. For the record, the entire story is untrue. DiCaprio is seeking the maximum by French law of 18,000 Euros, which is approximately $20,000 in damages and legal fees.

In the May 13 edition of Oops, the celebrity tabloid features photos of Rihanna and DiCaprio with the cover line (in translation), “Rihanna Pregnant With Leonardo’s Baby: He Doesn’t Want The Baby.” As Gossip Cop exclusively reported in the past, DiCaprio and the singer are not even together.

In an exclusive conversation with Gossip Cop, Frederic Truskolaski, an owner of Oops and a defendant in the lawsuit, acknowledges that the magazine knew its “scoop” was untrue. He says his staff read numerous stories “saying they were together,” but noted “we didn’t know” if Rihanna was pregnant, adding, “We thought she might be. We were not sure, of course.”

And yet, Truskolaski, who received the lawsuit on Thursday, says he’s completely shocked that DiCaprio has sued Oops. He tells Gossip Cop, “Why is he doing this?” The magazine’s part-owner thinks it may be “the first time an American superstar has sued a French magazine.”

According to the court papers, in addition to the erroneous claim that DiCaprio is having a baby with Rihanna, the magazine is being sued under France’s strict right to privacy laws. The lawsuit points out that Oops does not have the right to print information about DiCaprio’s personal life nor was it allowed to publish two paparazzi photos of him on the street. DiCaprio’s side is also asking Oops to print a retraction on an upcoming cover, and if it doesn’t, his legal team has asked the court to impose a 10,000 Euro fine (approximately $11,100).

DiCaprio’s legal team and Oops are set to face off in a Paris court on June 16. Truskolaski is fairly certain that because of France’s stringent privacy laws, a ruling will come down forcing Oops to pay the damages and legal fees. “Usually you lose,” he tells Gossip Cop, but he doesn’t think the magazine will have to pay the full 18,000 Euros that are being sought. “It won’t be much,” says Truskolaski.

Gossip Cop has reached out to both DiCaprio’s rep and his French attorney, but has yet to hear back.