Katherine Heigl, Duane Reade end lawsuit over actress' photo

[August 28, 2014]  By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actress Katherine Heigl and Duane Reade have come to an agreement in a lawsuit accusing the New York pharmacy of improperly posting to its social media accounts a paparazzi photograph of her leaving one of its stores.

A lawyer for Heigl, who starred in the film "Knocked Up" and television show "Grey's Anatomy," confirmed Wednesday a deal was agreed with the Walgreen Co-owned chain to resolve the lawsuit, filed in April in New York federal court.

The terms are confidential, but a statement from Heigl's lawyer Peter Haviland called it "mutually beneficial."

As part of the deal, he said, Duane Reade will make a contribution to a foundation focused on animal welfare, established in 2008 after Heigl's brother was killed in a car accident.

According to the lawsuit, Heigl was photographed in March near a Duane Reade store while she was in New York filming a pilot episode for a new television series.

Duane Reade posted the photo on its Twitter and Facebook accounts with captions advertising the store without her approval, the complaint said.

The 15-page lawsuit cited a tweet that Heigl claimed Duane Reade posted in March. "Love a quick #DuaneReade run? Even @KatieHeigl can't resist shopping #NYC's favorite drugstore," it said.

The lawsuit sought at least $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

Representatives for Walgreen did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Heigl is set to return to television in November in a new NBC series, "State of Affairs," in which she plays a CIA analyst who advises the president of the United States.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Gunna Dickson)

[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.