Heiress was accused of spreading falsities
SANTA MONICA COURTHOUSE Paris Hilton won’t be seen crying for mommy here anytime soon.
A $10 million defamation lawsuit against the hotel heiress was settled out of court on Wednesday just before the jury selection process was to commence for the trial in which model Zeta Graff claimed Hilton spread lies about her to a gossip columnist.
The attorneys for both parties announced Wednesday morning to Judge Linda Lefkowitz that their clients had reached an amicable resolution, leaving entertainment reporters that arrived after the fact surprised, some seemingly disappointed.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Word apparently spread quickly of the settlement, the hallway leading to the courtroom strangely devoid of Hollywood journalists for such a high-profile case. The Santa Monica Courthouse was buzzing with the news as discussions about Hilton could be heard down the corridors, some county employees expressing disappointment, others relieved to have avoided an anticipated media circus.
The attorneys for both parties — Bruce Broillet, Michael Avenatti and Alan Van Gelder for Graff, and Henry Gradstein for Hilton — released a joint statement on Wednesday.
“Both parties are glad that the matter could be resolved without the time and expense of a trial,” they said.
The drama surrounding the two socialites centered on a July 2005 Page Six column that detailed a run-in at a London night club. The New York Post gossip item stated that Graff became consumed in a jealous rage after she saw Hilton dancing with her ex-boyfriend, Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, who was engaged to Hilton at the time. The diamond heiress allegedly attacked Hilton at the Kabaret nightclub and attempted to snatch her diamond necklace, the report stated.
Graff filed the defamation suit a few weeks after the column ran, claiming that Hilton spread lies about her. According to media reports, Rob Shuter, Hilton’s former publicist, testified that the “Simple Life” actress asked him to plant the story in Page Six.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 23, 2007. Read the original PDF.