Spelling Sues Gear

10/26/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Antother TV starlet is at the center of a controversy after appearing semi-nude in a men's magazine. Aaron Spelling has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against the publishers of Gear magazine following the appearance of "7th Heaven" actress Jessica Biel in the March issue. Biel, 17, appears in nothing but a bikini bottom and is quoted as saying she's anxious to bolt from the Spelling series before her contract expires. In his suit, Spelling names comments in the article -- Biel says Spelling claims to "own" her -- and also notes the phony masthead in the magazine which lists the TV producer as a senior editor. Last year, Melissa Joan Hart of TV's "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" raised eyebrows when she posed provocatively for a magazine in an effort to distance herself from her wholesome image.