When Leonardo DiCaprio sued Playgirl magazine over ‘offensive and objectionable’ photos, sought damages for ’emotional distress’
While Leonardo DiCaprio was already an Oscar nominee, he became a global superstar after the success of director James Cameron’s epic disaster romance film Titanic. But working on the movie also brought its share of trouble in DiCaprio’s life.
He was photographed in a compromised position while working on the film, and caught wind that the photos would be published by Playgirl magazine. This was in the late 90s, and the magazine was looking to make a grand splash on the internet. Of course, the adult entertainment industry would be worth billions of dollars in the years to come.
DiCaprio sued Playgirl, and demanded that the pictures not be published as planned in the magazine’s July 1998 issue. According to the Associated Press, the suit claimed that the photos were ‘offensive and objectionable’, and that ‘a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities (would) not want to disclose in a nationally published magazine… his completely naked body, including full frontal nudity’.
The lawsuit, according to a 1998 AP report, sought unspecified damages for invasion of privacy and emotional distress. DiCaprio followed in the footsteps of Brad Pitt, who had also sued Playgirl on similar grounds.
Playgirl’s then editor-in-chief told the New York Post that she had quit her job in protest, after claiming to be pressured by the magazine’s owners to publish the photos. “It goes against my ethics,” she said. “It’s an invasion of privacy. I can’t be associated with it.” The same report, however, quoted the owners as saying that she was fired.
Eventually, “both parties amicably settled their differences,″ Playgirl attorney Kent Raygor said, while DiCaprio’s attorney Linda Goldman, confirmed the deal but declined to provide any further details.
DiCaprio’s personal life has always been followed closely by the paparazzi press. His relationships often make headlines, as does his lavish lifestyle. The actor works only occasionally these days. He was last seen in the satirical comedy Don’t Look Up, and will next be seen in the Western drama Killers of the Flower Moon.
