17/07/2003

Zeta Jones seeks £500,000 in damages for distress

Catherine Zeta Jones and husband Michael Douglas are seeking £500,000 in damages in a fresh round of court action against Hello! magazine over the publication of unauthorised photos of their wedding.

Lawyers representing the Hollywood power couple have appeared in London's High Court in the next stage of legal proceedings against the celebrity magazine. Speaking on behalf of the couple, Alastair Wilson QC said that the distress the stars had suffered was equivalent to being burgled and that they should be awarded damages that reflected the "extreme circumstances" of the incident.

The initial court case revolved around the publication of paparazzi photos taken at the couple's wedding, which took place in the New York Plaza Hotel in November 2000. OK! magazine negotiated a £1 million deal which gave the publication exclusive rights to images from the event, but Hello! magazine obtained the paparazzi photos and used them in an issue which was described as a 'special edition' covering the event.

Zeta-Jones described the discovery that someone had taken secret photos of their wedding day as "devastating" and that she and her husband had felt "violated" by events.

The case has been seen as a test of celebrity privacy rights, with Mr Justice Lindsay ruling in April 2003 in favour of the couple's complaint about press intrusion.

(CL)


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