Allianz SE insurance company is filing a lawsuit against celebrity and heiress, Paris Hilton. The insurer paid Damiani’s claim for jewels that were stolen from Ms. Hilton. Allianz says the police recovered part of the jewels, and she should return them to the owner; a Manhattan jeweler. But according to Ms. Hilton’s spokeswoman, the suit isn’t based on the facts.
In December 2008, a burglary ring that was targeting celebrity homes, robbed Paris Hilton’s mansion. They stole over 2.5 million dollars worth of jewelry; including jewels that were on loan from Damiani’s, a Manhattan jeweler. Allianz insurance paid Damiani’s claim for the loss of the jewels.
Later, police recovered some of the stolen jewels and returned them to Ms. Hilton. Allianz states they have attempted to contact Ms. Hilton several times, to request she return the borrowed jewelry to Damiani, but has not gotten a response. Allianz SE is bringing suit against Ms. Hilton to return the jewels or pay the amount of the claim.
There has been several cases where celebrities have sued an insurer or high profile business; such as Damiani. However, it is much more unusual to see an insurer suing a celebrity. Allianz is suing Ms. Hilton on the grounds of breach of contract.
The insurer states Ms. Hilton borrowed the jewels from Damiani’s and (allegedly) agreed she would keep them locked in a safe when not wearing them. When the burglary occurred in 2008, the borrowed jewels were on a closet shelf, along with other pieces of jewelry.
Ms. Hilton’s spokeswoman claims the lawsuit isn’t based on all the facts. She claims that some of the jewels the police recovered and returned were pieces of costume jewelry. Furthermore, she states no representative of Ms. Hilton ever told Allianz that the recovered jewels were those belonging to Damiani.
