Aniston Settles Topless-Photo Lawsuit

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday July 03, 2002 12:00 PM EDT

After a two-hour, closed-door session in judge's chambers, Jennifer Aniston on Tuesday settled her invasion-of-privacy lawsuit against the publishers of two adult magazines who ran photos of her sunbathing topless in her backyard, reports the Associated Press. "We have perfected a settlement that's confidential . . . this matter has been resolved," U.S. District Judge Ronald S.W. Lew announced from the bench, with the "Friends" star, 33, and her husband, Brad Pitt, 38, both in court. They were dressed casually, with Pitt sporting a scruffy beard, and the AP says they left afterward without speaking to reporters. A trial before the judge (no jury) was slated to start in the case on Tuesday. Terms of the settlement will remain confidential, both sides stipulated. "The parties have reached this settlement, they think it's the best for both sides. It is an amicable settlement," said Aniston's attorney, Jay Lavely. Her lawsuit, filed in August 2000, had claimed that Man's World Publications Inc. and Crescent Publishing Group (responsible for the magazines Celebrity Skin and High Society) ran pictures taken by a photographer who allegedly scaled a neighbor's wall and, using a telephoto lens, took photos of Aniston "reclining topless in her backyard, wearing only her panties." She was demanding unspecified punitive damages. The defendants had argued the photos were newsworthy. Reuters reports that Aniston still has a separate lawsuit pending in L.A. Superior Court against photographer Francois Navarre over the pictures.