| The maelstrom surrounding
the Paris Hilton sex tape is showing no signs of dying down.
Now that most of the world is well aware of the steamy
sexual stylings of the X-rated heiress and her costar, Rick
Solomon, after an excerpt of the tape hit the Internet last
week, the true excitement is in the multimillion-dollar
lawsuits created by the tape's very existence. First the
litigious Solomon sued Paris and her family for $10 million
for allegedly saying unsavory and slanderous things about
him. Then he sued the Seattle-based Internet porn company
Marvad Corp. for more than $10 million for illegally
distributing his turn as an amateur porn star.
Now Marvad Corp. is turning the tables and suing the man
it bought the infamous footage from--namely, Solomon's
former roommate, Don Thrasher. Marvad claims Thrasher misled
the company into believing that he owned the rights to the
tape. As a result of Thrasher's trickery, Marvad "suffered
substantial damages arising out of the misrepresentations by
Thrasher and his agents," according to the lawsuit. The
breach-of-contract suit seeks more than $10 million in
damages from Thrasher. "There was millions of dollars at
stake here," Marvad publicist Kevin Bragg said. The company
reached an agreement with Hilton not to distribute any
footage after learning she had not given her consent, Bragg
said. For his part, Thrasher has not backed down from his
claim that Solomon was involved in marketing the video to
the company. "We had an agreement to sell the tape," he
said, per the Associated Press. "He gave me the tape.
Period." Solomon has claimed that Thrasher stole the tape
without his knowledge; however, Thrasher claims he paid
Solomon half of the $50,000 he received for the sale of the
footage. Meanwhile, Paris Hilton, who has kept a remarkably
low profile since the video's debut on the Internet, told
the Associated Press she never expected the tape to become
public.
"I feel embarrassed and humiliated, especially because my
parents and the people who love me have been hurt," the
socialite said Monday. "I was in an intimate relationship
and never, ever thought that these things would become
public." Hilton's next onscreen turn most likely won't set
as many tongues a-wagging. Fox has announced it plans to go
ahead with its reality show, The Simple Life, in which the
heiress and her star-crossed socialite pal Nicole Richie
(Lionel's daughter, currently serving a stint in rehab for
heroin addiction) are transported to rural Arkansas to
experience life on a farm. |