Streisand says she has "safety concerns" over the pictures

The actress and singer filed a lawsuit $10m (�6.2m) on 20 May against millionaire Ken Adelman, accusing him of invasion of privacy posting details of her home on the internet.

But Mr Adelman said the pictures were part of his California Coastal Records Project Web site, which documented coastal changes and erosion, and were not intrusive. He took the pictures from a helicopter with his wife Gabrielle.

"They have presented no evidence he is stalking Streisand," Mr Adelman's lawyer, Richard Kendall, said on Monday.

"There is no evidence presented that Adelman even knew it was Streisand's house."

'Safety concerns'

Mr Kendall has called the photos a matter of public interest, and has asked Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Allan Goodman to protect them under free speech.

But Ms Streisand's lawyers say the photographs are of such high quality they violate her privacy because they show where her pool is and entry points into her house through doors and windows.

"The defendant would have the court believe that if you live near the coast, you give up the right to privacy," said her lawyer John Gatti.

"And in this case, there's someone with real safety concerns."

The photograph on the website was one of 12,000 published by Mr Andelman of the coastline as part of a campaign to highlight damage caused by building developments.

The hearing is expected to continue on Wednesday.