Magazine: Douglases Are Undeserving

By Stephen M. Silverman

Wednesday February 05, 2003 01:00 PM EST

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In the eyes of Hello! magazine, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones shouldn't complain.

The publication is defending itself against a breach-of-privacy lawsuit brought by the star couple, who claim the magazine published unauthorized photos of their wedding. But lawyers for Hello! argued in London's High Court Tuesday that the Douglases actively sought publicity for the splashy November 2000 New York event, Reuters reports.

Hello! contends that the Douglases are not due a penny.

"The deliberate seeking of publicity destroys confidentiality in respect of personal information for which publicity is sought," the magazine's legal papers state.

The stars are ticked off at Hello! for publishing the unauthorized wedding photos and hitting the newsstands three days before rival magazine OK! arrived with its official shots. (The Douglases had sold the wedding photo rights to OK! for $1.65 million.)

Douglas, 58, and Zeta-Jones, 33, are seeking some $800,000 in damages, citing a loss of income, stress and damage to their careers because of the poor quality of the photos. (Of course, Zeta-Jones is currently receiving raves for her performance in "Chicago." Douglas is set to star in at least two new films this year.)

In addition to the Douglases's suit, Hello! also faces legal action from OK!, which is suing its rival for $2.9 million in lost sales and syndication rights.