Did Jennifer Aniston sue the paparazzi in 2002? (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Yes, Jennifer Aniston did this right after a photographer snapped topless photos of her inside her own home. The result? A $550,000 settlement and a clear message that she wasn’t backing down.
Aniston sued photographer Peter Brandt, claiming he used a telephoto lens to capture intimate images of her while she was undressed. According to her lawsuit, the photos “could have been taken only by means of trespass” and were shot in a place where she had every reason to expect privacy. She demanded monetary damages and a court order to prevent Brandt and others from profiting off the images.
Brandt stayed quiet as the legal battle unfolded, but this wasn’t Aniston’s first time taking on the “stalkerazzi.” Just two years earlier, she sued another photographer for allegedly scaling a neighbor’s 8-foot wall to snap pictures of her sunbathing topless in her backyard. The images ended up in multiple publications, leading to an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit. The result? A $550,000 payout from paparazzi agency X-17, though the company did not admit to any wrongdoing.
Aniston’s legal battles weren’t just about her. They became part of a larger conversation about the aggressive tactics used by celeb photographers. Around the same time, stars like Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, and Lindsay Lohan also had similar run-ins. Los Angeles County even launched an investigation into whether these photographers were deliberately provoking confrontations to get more valuable shots.
But Aniston wasn’t just fighting individual photographers; she also took on major publications. In a separate case, she sued the publishers of High Society and Celebrity Skin for printing topless photos taken over her fence. The magazines plastered the images alongside headlines like “Friends Star X-Posed” and “Rachel Gets Raunchy!” The lawsuit argued that the magazines violated her right to privacy and sought damages, along with a court order to stop the distribution of the photos.
Legal experts weighed in, noting that Aniston had a strong case. “Jennifer Aniston has not only a claim for invasion of her right of privacy, she also has a claim for invasion of what’s called the right of publicity,” legal analyst Julie Hilden explained at the time (via ABC News). “Which is the right to control her image, and to control the instances in which her image is used to sell a commercial product.”
The magazine publishers, however, tried a different defense. They argued that Aniston had willingly posed for provocative photos in magazines and advertisements, challenging her claim of “shame, hurt, embarrassment, and distress.” But legal experts weren’t convinced. “Even if they do show that she posed close to fully nude in the photos that she did, I don’t think it will make a lot of difference in the case,” Hilden added.
Aniston’s lawsuits weren’t just about the money; they were about drawing a line. She made it clear that being a Hollywood star did not mean giving up her right to privacy. In the end, her legal victories sent a warning to those who crossed the line: intruding on her private life came with a hefty price tag.
