IKE most civil actions, the majority of tabloid lawsuits never come to trial. Often the celebrity's lawyers will file a claim, fire off a press release, and then quietly back off the suit. Many of these suits are dismissed on summary judgment. But where the plaintiffs have a legitimate claim, the tabloids are amenable to extrajudicial settlements, which can be interesting indeed. The first level of mediation involves a retraction, which will satisfy many aggrieved celebs.
Retractions are hard to obtain.
Bostwick has had bad experiences negotiating retractions with the tabs. The retraction can even be more damaging, because they'll print the truth as they know it. And then another few million issues will go to press repeating the damaging information. Or they'll repeat the allegation with some snide comment. You have to be careful.