MEDIA WATCH

The National Enquirer is standing by its story that Engelbert Humperdinck is battling the AIDS virus--even though the entertainer has filed a $50 million-plus libel lawsuit against the tabloid over the story, which Humperdinck maintains is false. “The article, written and researched with extreme care, was based on court papers filed in New York’s Family Court,” the tabloid said Wednesday in a statement from its Lantana, Fla., headquarters. “It was published only after being closely reviewed by our legal counsel.” Humperdinck, a pop singer, sued Tuesday, contending the tabloid report was false and malicious. Kathy Jetter filed papers in New York City’s Family Court demanding that Humperdinck provide for the financial future of her 12-year-old daughter, already ruled by a court to be his daughter. Humperdinck’s libel lawsuit said the woman’s unsubstantiated and false claims about the entertainer in a reply affidavit in the case were ultimately dismissed by the New York court.