File Photo of Katherine Heigl at the Premiere of 'New Year's Eve' in Hollywood
Actress Katherine Heigl poses at the premiere of "New Year's Eve" in Hollywood, California in this December 5, 2011 file photo. Actress Katherine Heigl has filed a $6 million civil lawsuit against New York pharmacy Duane Reade for using her name and an unauthorized paparazzi photograph of her in its commercial advertising. REUTERS

It has been learnt that Katherine Heigl attempted to settle the Duane Reade dispute privately. Apparently Heigl's lawyers tried contacting the company after it tweeted Heigl's photograph.

Us Weekly reported that it had insider information that Heigl did ask the drug store company to delete the tweet. However, Duane Reade apparently ignored the plea. It is reported that slapping a $6-million lawsuit was not Heigl's first priority. She wanted to settle it amicably without taking legal action. However, the company's lack of cooperation seemingly forced her to file the lawsuit.

Duane Reade shared Heigl's photograph on Facebook and Twitter. She was seen near one of the outlets of the company in the photograph. She was apparently coming out of the drug store after doing some shopping in it. In addition to the photograph, it was tweeted that even Heigl could not resist shopping at the New York's favourite drug store.

According to Heigl's lawsuit filed on April 9, the drug store used her "unauthorised" photograph as a form of advertisement of their stores on social media. The lawsuit says that the company is "liable for not less than $6 million in compensatory and punitive or treble damages." The specific tweet in question is mentioned in the 15-page lawsuit. The document mentions that the compensation amount will be given to The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation. The charitable organisation was founded after Heigl's brother died in a road accident in 2008. Heigl's lawyer Peter Haviland said that Duane Reade was expected to pay for wilfully misusing Heigl's "name and likeness." The photograph was termed as a paparazzi image which was watermarked by one of the news Web sites that is well-known for taking such photos.

Heigl has had her share of success both on TV and in movies. She won the Emmy award as the best supporting actress for her portrayal in Grey's Anatomy. She also acted in successful movies like The Ugly Truth, Knocked Up and 27 Dresses. However, she is often considered as one of the most difficult actors to work with. She is often known for outrageous demands and rude behaviour. Many blame this as a reason why her career took a huge nosedive.

Duane Reade did not comment on the lawsuit yet.