Earlier this week, a court ordered Barron Hilton’s auto insurance company to pay $4.6 million dollars to a man that Barron (Paris Hilton’s younger brother) hit while drunk. Today, according to RadarOnline.com, a jury was given access to the young man’s financial records so that they could properly determine the level of punitive damages. They ultimately recommended that the court require the young Hilton to pay $225,000 in punitive damages out of his own pocket (punitive damages are not covered by automobile insurance).

Hilton was sued by Fernando Telez, a former gas station worker, who was hit by Hilton’s car back in 2008. After the collision, Hilton was arrested for DUI.

Telez claimed he broke his back in the accident and has been unable to find work since the accident. During the trial, though, it was revealed that Telez continued to work for a month after the incident. He did not seek medical attention the day of the accident nor did he file for workers compensation when his boss asked about it.

Barron Hilton, now 21, ended up pleading no contest to the DUI charge (and to being in possession of a fake ID) in the criminal case. He got three years probation, fined $2,000, and ordered to take alcohol education classes, which he has successfully completed.

Kim Kardashian and her fiancé Kris Humphries are reportedly negotiating a prenuptial agreement before they wed. The couple recently became engaged – and Kim became the proud owner of a new 20 carat diamond engagement ring.

Kim (whose late father Robert Kardashian was an attorney) is reportedly worth $35 million. Her betrothed makes over $3 million a year with the New Jersey Nets and is worth an estimated $8 million. His family also has a little bit of money, owning a several Five Guys Burgers & Fries franchises in Minnesota.

Kim’s sister Khloe and her husband, Los Angeles Laker star Lamar Odom, also signed a prenup at the time of their marriage a few years ago.

Gloria Allred’s newest client, Vanessa Lopez, filed suit against NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal in Orlando today. In her civil suit, she alleges assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, conversion and a violation of state racketeering laws. She is represented by no fewer than three different law firms – one from L.A. (Allred’s), one from Miami and one from Orlando.

In the court documents, Lopez alleges that she and Shaq have had an intimate relationship since 2004, though they have known each other longer than that. She claims that Shaq told her that he wanted to have a child with her repeatedly during their relationship. In September of 2009, when Lopez told Shaq that her period was late though, he allegedly reacted negatively and accused her of sleeping with someone else.

Lopez alleges that she was upset by his response and, even after he apologized, she asked Shaq to leave her alone – even threatening to tell his wife if he didn’t. She claims that, within minutes of this threat, she was contacted by Shaq’s sisters who left her threatening messages. Her petition takes pains to point out that Shaq’s sisters are 6’6″ and 6’8″ tall.

She says that Shaq flooded her phone with texts and messages over October and November, forcing her to hire an attorney to send him a cease and desist letter. She claims that he ignored the attorney’s letter and continued to harass her through December.

Other allegations in the lawsuit include claims that Shaq hacked her mobile phone, intercepted her messages and sent an associate by plane from California to threaten her.

Actor/comedian Eddie Griffin has been sued over a $150,000 gift he presented to a charity called the Jamaica 360 program. The program sends 100 African-American college graduates on a “career-building vacation” to Jamaica. But Griffin’s check bounced.

Samir Sayegh, who went on the trip, now claims he was then induced into lending Griffin his credit card to cover a hotel bill while they were in Jamaica. According to the petition filed in court, Griffin took the card and secretly made a $150,000 charge to the main developer of Jamaica 360 to cover his check. Two weeks later, Samir got his American Express bill showing the charge.

Now American Express is suing Sayegh to collect the $150,000 and Sayegh is suing Griffin and the Jamaica 360 developers to get the money to pay AmEx.

All of this sounds so shady – I’m dying to hear the other side of this story…

Source (TMZ)

ETA: Just read Perez’s report on this story. As usual, wrong. Here’s what Perez says:

Shady shady!

Comedian Eddie Griffin has been slammed with a lawsuit after failing to follow through on a donation pledge.

You can get sued for promising money to charity and not paying????

It’s more complicated than that!

In 2007, Griffin said he would give $150,000 to the Jamaica 360 initiative, which “sends African-American university graduates to the Caribbean to help further their careers.”

One of the two men who went on the trip provided by the organization is suing the actor, claiming that Griffin tricked him into giving him his credit card information to pay for a hotel room. Not only that but his check bounced!

The icing on the cake is that Griffin’s credit card company is also suing him for overdue payments.

The lesson here is: Don’t write checks you can’t cash!

(boldface is mine)

No legal expertise is needed here. Perez doesn’t seem to understand that Griffin didn’t get sued for the bounced check, for failing to follow through on a charity pledge or for overdue payments to a credit card company. Griffin got sued by Sayegh for allegedly putting a fraudulent $150k charge on Sayegh’s AmEx. And AmEx is suing Sayegh for not paying them on the account – thus the Sayegh vs. Griffin suit.

Mediawhore Attorney Gloria Allred announced today that she now represents Paul Peterson, the president of “A Minor Consideration,” a company that champions the rights of child actors. (Peterson played Jeff Stone on The Donna Reed Show from 1958 to 1966 – from ages 12 to 20). Peterson has apparently filed a petition in Orange County, California to appoint a guardian for the estate of Nadya Suleman’s octuplets to ensure that the OctoMom doesn’t run through the money she makes off of them.

Allred said she also contacted the California Division of Labor Standards & Enforcement and requested an investigation into whether or not Suleman has violated laws set up to protect “child performers.” For weeks, rumors have been flying that Suleman is trying to sell a reality show about her family to a network.

In her typical grand-standing manner, Allred said, “Rather than choosing to provide her children with a normal life, their mother has chosen to commercially exploit them and it appears she plans to continue commercial exploitation of them in the future. If she doesn’t protect their rights, the courts will do it for her.”

Allred claims that Suleman violated California labor laws by allowing her infants to be filmed late at night and without the presence of a studio teacher. Allred claims that a court-appointed guardian, paid on an hourly basis, will make sure that things like that wouldn’t happen. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for June 22 in Orange County Superior Court.

Suleman has denied that she entered into any agreement to film a reality show about her family.

UPDATE: TMZ has now changed their story entirely. They now report that there was no preliminary hearing today and that it is actually scheduled for May 18th. In which case, Ghalib has not yet been ordered to stand trial. Sorry for the confusion.

A Van Nuys, California judge has decided that there is sufficient evidence for Britney Spears’ ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib to stand trial for allegedly hitting a process server with his car back in February. Although TMZ reports that Ghalib must now “appear for a preliminary hearing on May 18 to set a trial date”, this is inaccurate. What happened today was a preliminary hearing. The May 18th date is just a scheduling hearing date.

In a criminal case filed by complaint, there must first be a preliminary hearing (which is actually often waived by the defendant) in which evidence is presented by the prosecutor to show the judge that there is probable cause to allow the case to proceed to trial. In this case, Ghalib is charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon, felony battery and felony hit-and-run.

The court also granted a temporary restraining order against Ghalib on behalf of Ram Maskowtiz — the process server he allegedly hit — and another man.

I’ve heard that this case could cause immigration problems for Ghalib so I won’t be surprised if he rolls the dice and goes to trial. Nothing to lose?

Rebecca Broussard, the mother of two of Jack Nicholson’s kids, is divorcing her husband of less than a year, Dennis Piesto. They have no children.

Nicholson and Broussard never married but have a young son and daughter. Nicholson ended his 16-year relationship with Anjelica Houston when Broussard became pregnant in 1989.

Not the world’s biggest news story today, I know.

Casey Aldridge – Jamie Lynn Spears’ babydaddy/fiancé was charged with misdemeanor careless operation of a motor vehicle this morning in Louisiana. At about 1:30am, Aldridge’s F-250 ran off the road and rolled. At least three of the four occupants were ejected. No other car was involved.

Aldridge and the others were taken to a hospital with possible broken bones. He apparently has a minor skull fracture but is okay.

Candy Spelling’s daughter won’t speak to her and now she is being sued by an ex-employee for wrongful termination and retaliation.

Lourdes Serrano used to be a maid at Candy and Aaron Spelling’s Beverly Hills mega-mansion. In a suit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Serrano claims that Spelling made her clock out for two ten-minute breaks a day but did not pay her for those breaks. She asks for undetermined monetary damages, punitive damages and a jury trial.

Also named as defendants are the estate of Aaron Spelling and the Spelling Revocable Trust.

In the petition, Serrano says she started working at the Spelling mansion in March 2008 and was told by the butlers (!) that she was allowed to take breaks but that Candy Spelling preferred if she did not. So, she didn’t take breaks. Then, on August 5th, according to Serrano, Spelling told her that she would have to clock out if she took breaks.

Serrano continued to work without breaks until August 9th, when she clocked out to take one break. She took another break on August 10th. On August 11th, Serrano was allegedly disciplined by Spelling’s personal assistant and one of the butlers and told that she had to take two breaks every shift. She was to clock in and out for the breaks.

On August 12th, Serrano worked without taking a break. She had the next three days off. When she returned on August 16th, she was fired.

She apparently claims that she complained about having to clock out for the breaks – which, if true, is a violation of California wage law (required breaks must be paid) – and then got fired for complaining. I see a settlement in this one. Will never go to trial. Mark my words.

Britney Spears’ ex-paparazzo-boyfriend-creep-restraining order subject Adnan Ghalib has been sued over a hit and run that happened last year.

Ram Moskowitz claims Ghalib maliciously struck him with a car, sending him flying onto the hood and then driving 30 – 40 yards before he was thrown clear. At the time, Moskowitz was trying to serve Adnan with a restraining order on behalf of Britney.

Ram suffered cuts, abrasions and a fractured wrist. In his lawsuit filed Monday in L.A. County Superior court, Moskowitz seeks unspecified damages.

Ghalib is also facing three felony charges for the same incident. And possible deportation.

Good luck getting your money, Mr. Moskowitz!