Litigation
Jul. 30, 2002
Actress Settles Lawsuit Over Topless Photos
There were no fireworks on July 5 when actor Jennifer Aniston, 33, settled her lawsuit against the publishers of two magazines that included photos of her sunbathing topless in her back yard.
Local defense attorney Kent Raygor of Los Angeles' Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton had a hand in helping publishers Man's World Publications Inc. and Crescent Publishing Group settle the suit, which Aniston filed after the publishers ran the topless photos in their tabloid magazines Celebrity Skin, High Society and Celebrity Sleuth.
"It literally happened about 60 seconds before opening statements, when the judge was walking up to the bench," Raygor says. "The parties amicably resolved their differences, and Aniston dismissed her lawsuit."
Jay Lavely of Los Angeles' Lavely & Singer represented Aniston in the case.
"We think the settlement is in the best interest of both sides. This is an amicable settlement," Lavely told reporters at a press conference.
The attorneys reached the confidential settlement after a three-hour, closed-door session in U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew's chambers. Aniston, star of "Friends," and her husband, Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt, were present at the settlement conference.
The photos were taken in February 1999 when, according to Aniston, a "stalkeratzi" with a telephoto lens climbed an 8-foot wall and snapped the photos of her wearing only her panties.
Aniston's suit alleged the photos' publicity caused her emotional distress, shame and humiliation. It accused the magazines, which published the photo in late 1999, of invading her privacy by using her photograph for commercial purposes without her consent.
The photo made international rounds and allegedly appeared in the French publication Voici, the English newspaper Daily Sport and the Italian magazine Eva Tremila. Aniston has a claim pending against Daily Sport, has settled a claim against Eva Tremila and won a $1,000 judgment against Voici.
Christina Landers
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