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Naomi
Campbell meets more trouble in New York
From Samuel Maull
NEW
YORK—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. |