As if owing millions of dollars wasn't enough! Our favorite celebrity photographer, Annie Leibovitz, is now being sued for using someone else's photos without permission.

It all started when Leibovitz employed Italian photographer Paolo Pizzetti to take some scouting pics around Rome and Venice for her upcoming shoot for a Lavazza advertising campaign. Then, Leibovitz decided not to make the trip over the pond, and did the shot in her studio instead.

When the 2009 Lavazza calendar was released containing Leibovitz's work, Pizzetti noticed that the backdrops looked strangely familiar. Upon closer inspection, he could see that the droplets of water in the Trevi fountain, and the birds in Piazza San Marco were the exact same as in his scouting photos. PDN has a great animation, here, that lets you see for yourself.

He is now suing Leibovitz for $300,000 and to stop use of the images. This news comes at a bad time for Leibovitz who is also in the midst of a $24 million battle for the rights to her photos. The deadline to pay the debt was Tuesday, and there is still no word on the outcome of the loan. 

We all feel a certain amount of sympathy for Leibovitz's debt, but using someone else's photo without permission is a low blow. Worst of all, Annie's career has been the aspiration and envy of  photographers everywhere. To see her throwing it away with bad economic and ethical decisions is disheartening at best.

(image from PDN)