Paris Hilton Sued for $35M for Wearing Wrong Hair
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Paris Hilton was sued Wednesday for allegedly wearing the wrong hair.
A company that manufactures hair extensions claimed the 29-year-old socialite breached her contract to wear and promote their product when she sported the fake locks of a competitor in 2008.
Hairtech International Inc. is seeking $35 million in damages - 10 times what she was apparently paid under the contract. The fraud and breach-of-contract suit cites the heiress' partying as contrary to Hairtech's marketing campaign.
The filing also claims Hilton missed a launch party for the hair extension line because she was serving a stint in jail in 2007. Hilton served 23 days in 2007 after she was caught driving twice on a suspended license while on probation for reckless driving.
The filing states the company's lost $6.6 million on the launch party alone, although a jury or judge will have to decide whether Hilton owes any money if the case goes to trial.
Phone and e-mail messages to Hilton's publicist Dawn Miller were not immediately returned Wednesday.
The case isn't the first time Hilton's role as a pitchwoman has gotten her sued.
The producers of the film "Pledge This!" sued Hilton in 2008 in federal court in Miami, claiming she didn't properly promote the film. A judge ruled last year that she didn't owe the roughly $8.3 million it cost to the make the film, which played in fewer than two dozen theaters.
The court is still deciding how much, if any, of Hilton's $1 million fee for "Pledge This!" she may have to return to filmmakers.
Last month, Hilton was arrested in South Africa on suspicion of possession of marijuana at a World Cup quarterfinal between Brazil and the Netherlands. The case was dropped and no charges were filed.