Schwarzenegger settles fondling lawsuit

LOS ANGELES: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has settled a lawsuit brought by a former British TV host, who accused the governor of fondling her and later said the governor's aides had smeared her reputation, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday.
 
Anna Richardson, a former late-night TV personality, sued Schwarzenegger and two of his top aides in London in May 2004, claiming that they had smeared her reputation.

She had been among several women who alleged that the former action movie star had groped her in the past. Aides to Schwarzenegger countered with claims that she had forced herself on him when he appeared on her late night show in December 2000.
 
According to the paper, the settlement was strictly confidential and no details were available.