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Actress Jessica Alba is shown
on the cover of the March 2006 issue of 'Playboy' magazine in this undated
publicity photograph released by Playboy. (Playboy
Magazine/Handout/Reuters)
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LOS ANGELES - Film star Jessica Alba forgave Playboy magazine on Tuesday for
making her an unwitting cover girl after founder Hugh Hefner sent the actress a
personal apology and pledged to donate money to her favorite charities.
Alba had threatened to sue Playboy after the men's magazine printed a
photo of the bikini-clad actress from her 2005 movie "Into the Blue" on the
cover of its March issue -- which she said duped readers into thinking she was
nude inside.
"In light of Mr. Hefner's personal apology for Playboy's unauthorized use of
my photo on their cover, I have decided to discontinue my claims against them,"
Alba, 24, said in a written statement.
"This was never about money, it was about setting the record straight about
something that was done without my knowledge or consent," she added.
Alba's lawyers, who claimed that Playboy tricked Sony Pictures Entertainment
into supplying the photo after the "Fantastic Four" star refused to pose for the
cover, had also asked that the magazine pull the March issue from newsstands.
A spokeswoman for Playboy was not immediately available for comment. The
magazine initially had claimed to have "done nothing wrong" in giving cover
treatment to Alba, who was chosen "sexiest star of the year" by Playboy readers
in an online poll.
In his letter to Alba, Hefner apologized for "any distress unintentionally
caused by the publication of your photo" on the March cover.
"What was intended as a tribute to your tremendous popularity has been
misinterpreted by some as something else for which we are truly sorry since we
are among your biggest fans," Hefner said.
A representative for Alba, who also starred in films "Sin City" and "Honey"
and the TV series "Dark Angel," said the actress did not file a lawsuit against
Playboy but that her lawyers had been speaking to attorneys for the magazine.
He said that Playboy, a unit of Playboy Enterprises Inc , had agreed to make
donations, in a sum he would not disclose, to two charities supported by the
actress.