A judge has awarded Cameron Diaz damages in a civil lawsuit filed against a photographer who took topless photos of the actress when she was 19 and later tried to sell them back to her for $3.5 million.
Superior Court Judge Valerie Baker awarded an undisclosed amount in statutory damages to Diaz and dismissed a countersuit filed against the “Charlie’s Angels” star by photographer John Rutter. Baker’s summary judgment was entered March 9 and made public last week.
Diaz had sued Rutter in July 2003 after the photographer tried to sell her the images before shopping them to others. She has said a model release form was forged.
Rutter countersued a few months later, accusing Diaz of fraud and breach of contract. Her attorneys brought the case to police and Rutter was arrested and brought to trial. He was convicted last year of forgery, perjury and attempted grand larceny.
He has been serving a nearly four-year prison sentence.
A hearing was pending on whether Rutter should pay Diaz’s legal fees for the civil case, which were listed in court documents as $650,000.
The judge also issued a permanent injunction prohibiting the sale, license or other use of the photos and a videotape shot in 1992.