Former Maid Files Second Claim Against Naomi Campbell
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Naomi Campbell returned to court Wednesday as her lawyer and a Manhattan prosecutor tried unsuccessfully to cut a deal on charges that she threw a cell phone at her maid over a pair of missing jeans.
"We're still in the process of working out a possible disposition," said Assistant District Attorney Shanda Strain at a short hearing where the 36-year-old supermodel stood mutely. She is due back in court Jan. 16.
Campbell's lawyer, David Breitbart, said he was considering a plea offer from the Manhattan district attorney's office but declined to provide details. Campbell, who didn't speak with reporters after the hearing, showed up for court in a formfitting dark gray dress and a black cloth jacket, with 3-inch heels on black suede pumps.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Breitbart told reporters Campbell hoped to reach an agreement that would only require community service. The British catwalker could face up to seven years in prison and deportation if convicted on the assault charge.
The defense attorney also said he didn't want Campbell in a situation like '80s pop star Boy George, who was followed by reporters when he did community service for the Sanitation Department earlier this year. He pleaded guilty in March to falsely reporting a burglary at his lower Manhattan apartment.
Campbell was accused of hitting Ana Scolavino in the back of the head with a cell phone in the model's Manhattan apartment. Scolavino was treated for a head injury after the incident.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Click here to see the felony assault charges against Naomi Campbell on FindLaw.com
On Tuesday, Campbell was sued by another former maid who says the model viciously assaulted her while calling her a dumb Romanian. The lawsuit by Gaby Gibson calls Campbell a "violent super-bigot."
Gibson, who worked for Campbell from November 2005 though January 2006, says Campbell hit her, called her names and threatened to charge her with theft after being unable to find a pair of designer jeans.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"I'm so frustrated that a lawyer would use terms like that," Breitbart said about the bigot remark. "I thought we learned in law school not to call people names."
Gibson's lawsuit says "Campbell either kicked or punched the back of Gibson's head ... while yelling discriminatory comments" as the maid searched the closet for the jeans.