A judge decides today whether to force Hugh Hefner to make a public deposition in a lawsuit brought against him by former Playmate Carrie Leigh who is angry about nude photos that were published by Playboy Enterprises Inc.
Attorneys for Hefner have been trying to persuade Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Paul Boland to seal his statements from public view.
Former Hefner girlfriend Leigh is suing Hefner along with Playboy Enterprises Inc., for breach of contract after they published a nude photo of her against her wishes.
Leigh's likeness appeared in a coffee-table book called Inside the Playboy Mansion, even after Hefner supposedly had entered into an agreement -- stemming from an earlier lawsuit -- not to print private photos of his ex-girlfriend. The case was filed March 4, 1999, and has been proceeding slowly through the courts.
"She's very happily married with children," Gary Frischer, a spokesman for Leigh and Gregory Smith, the attorney who represents her, told the press. No longer involved in the entertainment business, Leigh has "turned down all offers for almost anything; "She's a very happy, content human being," Frischer added.
Named in the lawsuit along with Hefner and Playboy Enterprises Inc. is Gretchen Edgren, who wrote the book's accompanying text. The book was published in December 1998.
