John Travolta has been awarded almost $140,000 (£87,500) to cover court costs in his legal battle with the author of salacious book You'll Never Spa In This Town Again.

Robert Randolph accused the star of frequenting gay bathhouses in the book and then sued Travolta and his lawyer, claiming they attempted to discredit him and his release by spreading media lies about the author's mental health.

The dispute stemmed from the leak of a letter attorney Marty Singer wrote to the editors of gossip website Gawker.com, in which he claimed Randolph had spent time in mental institutions and suffered from brain damage.

The author sued for libel, but Randolph's case was thrown out of court in September (12), and now a judge has ordered the writer to pick up Travolta's legal bill.

And Singer hopes the demand will serve as a warning against any other potential plaintiffs planning to take action over ridiculous claims against his client.

He tells Tmz.com, "This legal fee award is another complete and total victory for Mr. Travolta. Anyone else who files a ridiculous lawsuit against him should expect a similar outcome."

Earlier this week (begs03Dec12), Singer shot down allegations his star client had enjoyed a secret affair with his former pilot Doug Gotterba, after the ex-employee filed suit in a bid to protect himself from the threat of prosecution after going public with the reported relationship.