LEGAL FILE

Mapplethorpe Complaints Denied: Opponents of a Robert Mapplethorpe photo exhibit lost a bid Wednesday in a Boston court to halt the show they say violates obscenity laws. Municipal Clerk Magistrate Rosemary Carr denied three complaints against the exhibit by the American Family Assn., which would have prompted an investigation by the district attorney. The group had sought a ruling that the exhibit--which includes nude photographs of children--is exploitative, constitutes dissemination of obscene materials and matter harmful to minors. The complaints had been filed against the Institute of Contemporary Art, which opened the Mapplethorpe exhibit five weeks ago.