Paul's Pal Wins

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/01/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Paul McCartney's new girlfriend, Heather Mills, was awarded nearly $320,000 in an out-of-court settlement as compensation for the 1993 accident with a police motorcycle in which she lost a leg, London police told Reuters on Thursday. As part of the deal, police officer Simon Osborne, who was driving the bike, was cleared of the charge of driving carelessly. "I would never have sued," Mills, 32, told London's Mirror, "but police constable Osborne launched a damages suit against me, so I had no choice." Osborne was suing her over injuries and emotional stress. Mills, an activist for the handicapped and other causes, and McCartney made public their relationship last month. The ex-Beatle's wife, Linda, died of breast cancer in 1998.