Case Closed in Navy SEAL Lawsuit Vs. AP

Case Closed in Navy SEAL Lawsuit Vs. AP
Case Closed in Navy SEAL Lawsuit Against the Associated Press
By GARY GENTILE Associated Press Writer
The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES Aug 31, 2005 — Four Navy SEALs and the wife of a SEAL who sued The Associated Press over photos showing the servicemen posing with Iraqi prisoners have agreed to drop all claims and not appeal a decision by a federal judge in favor of the news organization.

Both sides also signed a court document agreeing to bear their own legal costs. The agreement is expected to be approved by a judge later this week.

The lawsuit was filed last year after the AP distributed photographs that reporter Seth Hettena found posted on a commercial photo-sharing Web site, Smugmug.com, by the wife of one of the SEALs.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Miller in San Diego dismissed all four counts of the lawsuit. Miller concluded that the claims that the news organization violated privacy and copyright laws by publishing the photos lacked merit.
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1085494