Elton John settles £3 million court dispute with ex-wife Renate Blauel after tell-all book
15 October 2020, 11:56
In July 2020, Smooth Radio reported that Sir Elton John’s ex-wife Renate Blauel was reportedly suing the star for mentioning their marriage in his autobiography.
Now it has been confirmed that the former couple have settled their £3 million court dispute.
Renate, who previously filed for an injunction in June, was suing the singer for writing about their relationship.
Documents filed on July 16 say that Elton's comments in his book 'Me', broke the terms of a privacy agreement they made when they broke up.
Read more: Sir Elton John’s ex-wife suing for ‘£3 million’ for discussing their marriage in his book
Renate sought compensation after he mentioned her in several sections in his autobiography 'Me'.
According to legal documents filed at London’s high court, comments made in the book broke the terms of an agreement made when they divorced 32 years ago.
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The documents also stated that Elton had allegedly agreed to remove certain passages before publication of the book, but Renate claimed that they triggered existing mental health problems.
Read more: Who is Elton John's ex-wife Renate Blauel and where is she now?
In papers filed in his defence at the time, the 73-year-old 'Your Song' singer’s legal team denied breaching the agreement, arguing the details in the book were public knowledge and that the contract "applies only to private and confidential matters".
According to Sky News, the couple have now resolved their dispute.
A spokesperson said: "The parties are happy to announce that they have resolved this case, in a way that acknowledges Renate’s need for privacy.
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"For her part, Renate acknowledges that Elton has acted in a dignified and respectful way towards her in the last 30 years and has been always happy to help her.
"They will not be discussing each other, or their marriage, in future and will be making no further comment about the case."
Renate and Elton met in 1983 when he was recording his Too Low for Zero album, where Renate was working as a sound engineer.
The couple married a year later in 1984, but divorced in 1988 around the time Elton, who is now married to David Furnish, announced he is gay.
Read more: The Story of... 'Your Song' by Elton John
Renate has stayed out of the limelight, but the German-born sound engineer was portrayed in the 2019 Rocketman biopic, prompting speculation an injunction may have initially been sought to block further media representations in films and books.
