Journalist Sues Ashley Judd

By Stephen M. Silverman

12/01/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

Ashley Judd and "Entertainment Tonight" have been sued by a freelance journalist who claims the actress made false statements on the show about one of his articles. At issue is a story published in USA Today story last August by Larry Birkhead, who wrote that Judd's mother, Naomi Judd, would not comment on Ashley's R-rated movie "Double Jeopardy." In an interview on "ET," Ashley called the article "a complete fabrication." Birkhead's lawyer said Judd's statements were libelous because she directly accused him of lying.