Courting celebrities is all in a day’s work
SM COURTHOUSE Whether it’s a $10 million defamation lawsuit filed against socialite Paris Hilton, an extortion case involving action hero Bruce Willis, or the O.J. Simpson civil trial in which the NFL great was found responsible for the murder of his ex-wife, the halls of this courthouse have hosted an array of legal disputes — both petty and pressing — involving Hollywood’s elite.
“We definitely get more than our fair share of celebrity trials here,” said Linda Lefkowitz, supervising judge of the Santa Monica Courthouse. “You never know when you are going to run into one.”
There was the restraining order filed by Colin Farrell against a former phone sex operator who sued the “Alexander” star for harassment after he allegedly sent more than 500 filthy text messages bragging about his sexual prowess, and the case of “Desperate Housewives” star Teri Hatcher, who sued a gossip columnist for writing that she had sex with men in a van outside of her home.
Even mundane things like a name change can draw paparazzi, such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s filing to have their adoptive children, Maddox and Zahara, re-named Jolie-Pitt. Even though the couple didn’t appear in court — as is the case with many celebs — paparazzi showed up anyway, hoping to snap someone with name recognition.
“It can get pretty crazy at times with all of the photographers, but if they want to come into the courtroom they have to behave and leave their cameras at the door,” said a deputy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, which provides security for courthouses that handle both criminal and civil trials. “We try to help the celebrities as much as possible by allowing some of them to come through a side door. But the paparazzi is usually pretty good about picking up on that. If they miss their shot one day, they’ll make sure they get it the next.”
Santa Monica draws so many celebrities simply because of its location, according to Lefkowitz. With so many stars living in or near Santa Monica, Venice and Malibu, they tend to file suit at the closest courthouse, which happens to be Santa Monica.
“It really is just a matter of geography,” Lefkowitz said.
The latest high-profile legal filing came earlier this week, when Zsa Zsa Gabor’s eighth husband filed papers seeking to establish paternity of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith’s baby daughter, Dannielynn.
Frederic von Anhalt said he had sexual relations with Smith in January 2006, when her baby was likely conceived, and that he would take responsibility for the 5-month-old girl if testing shows that he is the father.
In his petition,von Anhalt reportedly is asking for legal and physical custody of the baby.
He isn’t alone. At least three other men claim to be the father of Smith’s baby, who was born on Sept. 7 in the Bahamas. They include Smith’s attorney, Howard K. Stern, Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead, and Mark Hatten, a man convicted in Los Angeles of making terrorist threats against Smith, according to celebrity news Web site TMZ.com.
Stars don’t always have to be at the center of a lawsuit to visit the courthouse. Sometimes they’re the jurors, as was the case recently with Priscilla Presley.
The ex-wife of rock god Elvis Presley was in court a few weeks ago sitting on a bench on the second floor of the courthouse, reading a book and sipping on a bottle of water as she waited for court to begin. Presley was reportedly helping to decide a personal injury lawsuit.
“No matter how famous they are, we try to treat them just like anyone else,”Lefkowitz said.“After all, this is a courthouse and there are serious, life-altering decisions that have to be made... that said, you can’t help but get a little starstruck.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 17, 2007. Read the original PDF.