Actress
Jennifer Aniston's lawyers have threatened to sue tabloids and celebrity magazines if they publish new paparazzi photographs of the Friends star sunbathing topless at her home, documents reveal.
Aniston's lawyers, in a letter posted on The Smoking Gun website today, said they had already sued the photographer, Peter Brandt, for invasion of privacy for taking the pictures in the past two weeks either by trespassing on her property or using a high powered lens.
"The purpose of this letter is to put you on notice that the publication of certain photos of Ms Aniston . . . showing her topless or in the act of taking off or putting on her top . . . will constitute a violation of Ms Aniston's right to privacy and a violation of other applicable law," the actress' lawyer, John Lavely, said in the letter.
The photographer, Peter Brandt, said he had not yet been served with the lawsuit but believed he obtained the pictures legally from a public sidewalk — not on Aniston's property — and had not yet sold any of them.
"I've been in this business for 25 years and I don't do anything illegal," he said.
"I was 300 yards (274m) away and anybody on that hillside could have seen her."
Brandt said he staked out Aniston's home trying to get pictures of her with actor Vince Vaughn and never expected the actress to emerge from her house without a shirt on.
"I was not trying to get a photo of her topless, that was not on my mind at all," he said.
"I'd rather she not come out topless. Then I wouldn't have this (lawsuit)."
Aniston, who has been the subject of a tabloid frenzy since her split with husband Brad Pitt earlier this year, settled a lawsuit with two men's magazines over topless photos in 2002.
In that lawsuit, the actress contended paparazzi scaled a neighbour's wall to snap photos of her reclining in her backyard, wearing only her panties.
Lavely and representatives for the 36-year-old actress did not immediately return calls seeking comment.