Supermarket tabloid sued for $100 million

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former talk-show host Sally Jessy Raphael filed a $100 million lawsuit Tuesday against The National Enquirer for a report that alleged that she had suffered a mental breakdown.

Besides punitive damages, Raphael said, she also is seeking to force a permanent change in the supermarket tabloid's journalism practices.

"It was malicious. It came out of nowhere," she said of the Oct. 22 story, which included the headline: "Sally Jessy Rushed To Mental Ward! ... Shocking Reason Behind Her Breakdown."

The newspaper's publisher, Boca Raton, Fla.-based American Media Inc., said it "stands firmly behind the accuracy of the information we published about Sally Jessy Raphael."

The story said the cancellation of Raphael's TV show sent her "into a tailspin of despair."

"Our story was premised on impeccable sources in a position to know the information they conveyed to us. Those sources have reconfirmed the accuracy of our published information," the publisher said. "We look forward to vigorously defending this action and proving the accuracy of our story in court."