HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) - A federal judge has approved a settlement ending a prison lawsuit filed by Pamela Smart, who is serving a life sentence in one of New Hampshire's most notorious murders.

Smart claimed unfair treatment by New York prison officials after racy photographs of her in her prison cell appeared in the National Enquirer. She claimed the pictures were taken by a guard who sexually assaulted her.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet approved a $23,875 payment on Monday to Smart from the state of New York, where she is in custody at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility. Under the settlement, New York state did not admit liability.

Smart is 42 and was convicted in 1991 for enlisting her teenage boyfriend William Flynn to kill her husband, Gregory.

Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com

11/04/09 21:10 © Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained In this news report may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.