Posted on 08/23/2002 9:55:42 AM PDT by TADSLOS
RIVERHEAD, N.Y. (AP) - Lizzie Grubman, a New York publicist with a star-studded roster of clients, pleaded guilty Friday in a hit-and-run crash that injured 16 people outside a Hamptons nightclub. Grubman, 31, will likely receive two months in jail, 280 hours of community service and five years' probation under the plea agreement. She could have faced up to seven years behind bars if convicted.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 23.
According to witnesses at the Southampton club on July 7, 2001, Grubman became upset when a bouncer asked her to move her Mercedes SUV from a fire lane. The bouncer, Scott Conlon, claimed Grubman called him "white trash" before slamming her SUV into reverse and driving into the crowd.
With 16 people injured outside the Conscience Point Inn, Grubman was whisked away in another vehicle. Police later tracked her down.
Grubman, the daughter of entertainment attorney Allen Grubman, was one of Manhattan's highest-profile publicists, with clients that at times included singer Britney Spears, rappers Jay-Z and Wu-Tang Clan, and Sony Music Chairman Tommy Mottola.
In court Friday, she remained composed, providing only yes and no answers as she pleaded guilty to third-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident.
She also was charged with operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol, a misdemeanor. Grubman has insisted she was sober and the crash was an accident.
Grubman left the courthouse Friday surrounded by bodyguards, family members and friends. She made a brief statement outside the courthouse, apologizing to her victims.
She still faces at least eight lawsuits seeking millions of dollars.
Prosecutor Joy Watson said Grubman received no preferential treatment in the plea deal. "I didn't even know who she was when I took this case," Watson said.
The crash exacerbated tensions between locals on the east end of Long Island and the out-of-towers who arrive every summer. The seasonal crowd is often regarded as rude and condescending to year-round residents, with Grubman held up as the poster child for such behavior.
Grubman had been out on the town the day of the crash with actress and client Tara Reid. She also represented the club where the accident occurred.
AP-ES-08-23-02 1225EDT
Money talks...
You got that right, once again the elite of Amerika are not held accountable.
One of the things this article didn't mention was that the Mercedes SUV that Grubman was driving belonged to her father, not her. The definition of a thoroughly mediocre industry is one in which one of "Manhattan's highest-profile" names is a 31 year-old snot who still drives Daddy's car around.
Well, maybe once... ;~)
She ain't exactly the most feminine person:
Ditto.
Mix: Vodka, tomato juice, a pound of flesh and a pound of white trash in a blender.
Hit the reverse button.
Don't turn off blender until white trash has been beaten to a bloody pulp.
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