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Naomi Campbell meets more trouble in NYC
2006-11-15
Naomi Campbell, who has been accused of hitting several employees, was sued Tuesday by a former maid who says the British catwalker assaulted her while calling her a dumb Romanian. It was Gaby Gibson's second lawsuit against the supermodel; her lawyer said the suit adds additional allegations and defendants. Campbell's lawyer said the first suit was thrown out. The latest suit came on the eve of Campbell's scheduled Manhattan Criminal Court appearance on charges of hitting another employee. The suit calls the 35-year-old supermodel a "violent super-bigot" who disparaged the maid by saying, "You are not in the Third World any more, stupid," and "Romanians are not usually as dumb as you." Gibson, who worked for Campbell from late last year to early this year, says the model hit her on Jan. 17, called her names and threatened to charge her with theft after being unable to find a pair of Stella McCartney jeans. As the maid was bent over searching the closet, "Campbell either kicked or punched the back of Gibson's head ... while yelling discriminatory comments," the suit says. The new defendants in Gibson's suit include four companies owned by Campbell and her former publicist, Amanda Silverman. The publicist "disseminated false and defamatory statements against Gibson," harming her reputation, the suit says. The suit seeks unspecified damages. Campbell's lawyer, David Breitbart, denied Gibson's claims. He also said he believed Campbell's employees were obliged by contract to take complaints against the model to arbitration and keep their interactions confidential. Silverman said she had no comment. In June, Gibson accused Campbell of employment discrimination, civil assault and civil battery. Breitbart said that suit was dismissed because papers were not filed within the legal time limit. Despite her legal woes, Gibson's lawyer, Lambros Y. Lambrou, said Campbell has remained unfazed. He said she's been seen wearing a T-shirt saying "NAOMI HIT ME" on the front and "I LOVE IT" on the back. Campbell's Wednesday court date on an assault charge stems from a similar accusation: She was unable to find a pair of jeans and allegedly blamed the maid. In that incident, Campbell was accused of striking Ana Scolavino with a cell phone in the model's Manhattan apartment after saying she stole the missing jeans. Scolavino was treated for a head injury. Breitbart has said a plea deal was possible in that case, but he did not say what the deal entailed. Campbell, who is from London, faces up to seven years in prison and deportation if convicted after a trial on that charge.
Stella McCartney has baby girl (2006-12-13)Madonna to design range for Sweden's H&M (2006-12-07)Naomi Campbell meets more trouble in NYC (2006-11-15)McCartney Stops Stella from Attacking Mills (2006-10-25)Paul McCartney, Registered Trademark? (2006-10-16)
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