Los Angeles, July 26: Russian tennis queen Anna Kournikova has reached a settlement with penthouse after the american men's magazine admitted it falsely claimed it was publishing naked pictures of her, ESPN reported yesterday. Penthouse had already apologized for the photos which ran in its June 2002 issue, prompting Kournikova to launch the suit in a California court. "The case has been settled to the satisfaction of the parties," said Kournikova in a statement.
Kournikova's suit claimed the photos, of a topless bather misidentified as her, defamed her name and was an invasion of her privacy.
The suit demanded damages of over 10 million dollars but no details of the settlement were released by Kournikova, said ESPN.

Kournikova, known more for her blonde bombshell image rather than her ground strokes, collects about 13 million annually in endorsements.

Penthouse had previously settled with Judith Soltesz-Benetton who claimed the photos were of her. Terms of that settlement were also not disclosed.

Penthouse has a circulation of over one million and publisher Bob Gucchione said they planned to destroy 18,000 leftover copies of the controversial issue.

Bureau Report.