MOSCOW — A Russian judge on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against Madonna for actions during a concert in St. Petersburg in August that antigay groups say violated a local law against propagandizing homosexual behavior.
That the case even went to trial, though, was a new step for the courts under President Vladimir V. Putin, coming months after a court in Moscow sentenced members of a Russian punk band, ***** Riot, to prison terms for staging a performance in an Orthodox cathedral.
Madonna did not face jail time, but she could have had to pay significant damages: the antigay groups suing her sought $10.7 million. Her spokeswoman has had no comment about the case.
