Jennifer Aniston sues photographer for invasion of privacy

Wednesday, November 30th 2005, 10:07 am

By: News On 6

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ Jennifer Aniston is suing a paparazzo, claiming he invaded her privacy by using a telephoto lens to photograph her inside her home when she was topless or partly undressed.

The lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court alleges that photographer Peter Brandt must have observed Aniston ``from a great distance through invasive, intrusive and unlawful measures.''

The photos ``could have been taken only by means of trespass'' and were shot in a place where she had reasonable expectations of privacy, the 36-year-old actress, who starred on NBC's ``Friends,'' claims.

Aniston is seeking monetary damages and a court order to stop Brandt and anyone else from making money from the photos.

Brandt couldn't be reached for comment by the Los Angeles Times. His celebrity photos have appeared in People magazine and the New York Post.

Aniston previously sued a different photographer for allegedly scaling a neighbor's 8-foot wall and photographing her sunbathing topless in her backyard. The photos ran in several publications.

Francois Navarre, owner of Los Angeles paparazzi agency X-17 paid Aniston $550,000 two years ago to settle an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit but didn't admit to any wrongdoing.

Aniston's latest lawsuit comes as the Los Angeles County district attorney's office is investigating whether increasingly aggressive celebrity photographers are initiating confrontations to capture lucrative photos.

Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson and Lindsay Lohan have had alleged run-ins with paparazzi in recent months.