Deal scuttles Courtney Love Twitter trial

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LOS ANGELES, March 5 (UPI) -- Courtney Love's attorney says the rocker agreed to a settlement with a Texas fashion designer whom she had blasted in a series of searing Twitter tweets.

Lawyer James Janowitz told The New York Times the settlement was a modest one that will pay plaintiff Dawn Simorangki a total of $430,000 and end their dispute over the tweets Love fired off in 2009 in regards to a $4,000 dress Simorangki had made.

The Times said Saturday the agreement avoided a trial that would have been one of the first high-profile trials involving questions of libel and slander posted on the Internet.

"I think everybody decided enough is enough," said Janowitz. "There are always people looking for the opportunity for a score and you have to deal with those situations when they arise."

Simorangki's attorney disagreed with her alleged motive, telling the Times Love had falsely stated his client was a convicted prostitute and had harmed her design business.

"Just because you decide to use 140 characters about how you are feeling at the moment doesn't exempt you from legal exposure," Joshua Freedman said. "It goes back to what I was taught as a child: Think before you speak."