It isn’t often that the New York Post makes a mistake, but when they do, they do it pretty big. The front-page banner ad printed by the paper today, claiming that Debbie Rowe will accept $4 million in exchange for dropping her custody claim, is inaccurate.

Not only inaccurate, it’s created a resulting media fire storm of lawyers, angry letters and additional headlines. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the false story was planted on purpose for just this reason…

Rowe attorney Eric George says the claims are “completely false” and called the reports themselves “overzealous and inaccurate sensationalism.” In a statement, George said that “there has been no agreement reached between Ms. Rowe and the Jacksons,” and maintains that Rowe has no intention of giving up her rights to her kids.

Not for the tiny-potatoes sum of $4 million, and you can bet on that. Currently, the custody hearing (already pushed back twice) is scheduled to take place on July 20. The kids are still being cared for by Katherine Jackson, Michael’s mother, who was granted this right shortly after her son’s unfortunate death.

Meanwhile, Rowe’s lawyer has penned a letter to the Post demanding a retraction. At one point, the letter says “Ms. Rowe has not accepted - and will not accept - any additional financial consideration beyond the spousal support she and Michael Jackson personally agreed to several years ago.” This is actually a pretty huge statement, and seems to suggest that Rowe’s motivations are not mercenary. Many people might have trouble swallowing this claim, since Debbie seemed happy to discard her parental rights several years ago when she was offered money to give up custody the first time around.

You can view the entire document if you please.