Policeman Sues George Michael

The Californian undercover policeman who four years ago arrested George Michael for exposing himself has been given the go-ahead to sue the singer for $10m (£7m) for alleged slander.

The policeman claims that he suffered emotional distress as a result of Michael's claims on television that the officer exposed himself and made masturbatory gestures during their encounter in a public lavatory in a Beverly Hills park in 1998.

Officer Marcelo Rodriguez arrested Michael and charged him with disorderly conduct, for which he was fined $810.

After his conviction Michael spoke of the arrest on the Late Show with David Letterman.

"He played a game called 'you show me yours, I'll show you mine'," said Michael. "It was called 'I show you mine, you show me yours, and I'll take you down to the police station'." On another programme, Michael said: "I responded to a handsome American cop. They don't send Colombo in to do this. And I can't be ashamed by the fact that it was there in front of me."

Rodriguez denied Michael's claims and began a civil claim for damages. Initially the courts ruled against him - in the US, the libel and slander laws are not as strict as in Britain, and criticism against public servants is normally not actionable.

This week an appeals court in San Francisco reversed earlier rulings.

"It is doubtful that the police conduct alleged ... is an accepted practice of the Beverly Hills police department in the conduct of undercover operations," wrote judge Walter Tashima in a majority ruling. Judge Stephen Reinhardt disagreed, saying that the action could have a chilling effect on legitimate criticism of the police.