Radio moralist gets court to stop nude photos

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Radio talk show host Laura Schlessinger, famed for berating listeners for their moral failings, won a court order Friday stopping an Internet site from showing nude photos of her.

The dozen photos were allegedly taken by a now 80-year-old man who claims to have had an affair with Schlessinger in the mid-1970s when they were both married to other people.

A spokesman for Schlessinger refused comment. However, her lawyers went to U.S. district court here Friday and, citing copyright violations, obtained a temporary restraining order preventing the photos from being shown on the Internet Entertainment Group's website.

Her alleged former lover, former Los Angeles radio talk show host Bill Ballance, was served with a copy of the restraining order while he was a guest on a radio show talking about Schlessinger.

Called "Dr. Laura" by her millions of faithful listeners, Schlessinger often chastises callers who seek advice about their love lives. She is strongly opposed to adultery and sex before marriage, and is the author of "Ten Stupid Things Women Do To Mess Up Their Lives."

A convert to orthodox Judaism, Schlessinger's often harsh tone with her listeners has become a matter of controversy among psychotherapists.

Federal Court Judge Dean Pregerson set Nov. 2 as a hearing date.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair magazine, Schlessinger was quoted as saying she had made mistakes in her life that "I regret and have shame for."

Reuters/Variety

16:37 10-25-98

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