Saturday, July 18, 2009

Paris Hilton sued for $8.3M


Comedy flop investors continue heiress socialite and hotel for not fulfilling its functions of promotion, but she insists she connected to the best of its abilities.

Paris Hilton has insisted in court that she did everything she could to promote flop comedy Pledge This! amid allegations from an investor who has turned his back on the 2006 film.

The hotel heiress and socialite was sued for $ 8.3m (£ 5.1m) in damages by the receivers of the defunct entertainment company that has been the main investor in the film, which has just $ 2.9m (£ 1.8m). The prosecution alleges that he violated his contract by dismissing or ignoring requests by the producers to appear on talk shows and magazines to radio and conducting interviews for the film.

The producers were particularly galled by Hilton alleged failure to promote the DVD release of the film, which focuses on going on a sorority house in the fictional South Beach University.

On the witness stand in federal court in Miami on Friday, Hilton, 28, acknowledged Pledge This! "The failure at the box office, but said she was promoted to the best of its abilities.

"If I have my name associated with something, I want to make it as big as we can," she testified.

Hilton has also insisted she was never told his required appearances in October 2006 after the first of Pledge This! and said she spent more than two years promoting the advance, including two high-profile trips to the Cannes Film Festival.

At an earlier hearing, Bryan West, counsel for the defunct Worldwide Entertainment Group, told the court: "At no time would it take 10 minutes to do a telephone interview."

Michael Goldberg, a lawyer for the receiver, said Friday it had pumped the final £ 600,000 on behalf of society in the making of the film in the hope that the participation of Hilton lead to a dividend.

"I said, 'Do a little thing and you'll never hear from me." We had no support whatsoever, "he told the court.