LOS ANGELES—A private art dealer who sold a photographic print to Claire Forlani three years ago has filed a libel and slander suit against the actress, accusing her of falsely claiming that the work was a fake.

In his complaint filed in L.A. Superior Court, Paul Rusconi charges that Forlani sent out a mass e-mail last month that said he was selling artwork to customers that he knew had been forged, and that he routinely defrauded his clients by charging three or four times the fair value for art pieces. According to the suit, Forlani bought a silver gelatin photographic print by William Claxton of actor Steve McQueen eating a doughnut. The print is one of only 15 made by Claxton and is not a forgery, the complaint says. The suit claims at least $25 million in damages.

Read more at the Courthouse News Service.