Case against Madonna In Russia quashed

A Russian court has dismissed a lawsuit that sought millions of dollars in damages from Madonna for allegedly traumatizing minors by speaking up for gay rights during a concert in St. Petersburg.

In February, the city made it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. Six months later, the singer criticized the law on Facebook, then stood up for gay rights at a concert in St. Petersburg that drew fans as young as 12.

On Thursday, a St. Petersburg court threw out the Trade Union of Russian Citizens' lawsuit and the 333 million rubles ($10.7 million) in damages it sought from the performer for allegedly exposing minors to "homosexual propaganda."

Madonna did not attend the trial, and her publicist Liz Rosenberg said Thursday the star wouldn't comment about it.

Judge Vitaly Barkovsky rejected the compensation claims outright after a little more than an hour's deliberation and ordered the activists to pay legal fees to the defendants.

Homophobia is common in Russia and Madonna, 54, also provoked a bitter response when she spoke out at a summer concert in Moscow in support of three members of the jailed feminist opposition group Pussy Riot.