Paris Hilton seeks return of diaries, photos up for sale
Fri Feb 3, 2006 10:12 PM ET
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lawyers for Paris Hilton are in talks with a broker of celebrity porn in a bid to recover private diaries and photos of the celebrity heiress that were put up for sale for $20 million, both sides said on Friday.
The broker, David Hans Schmidt of Phoenix, Arizona, told Reuters he was seeking $20 million for material he claims includes 18 personal diaries recounting sexual escapades and risqué photos of Hilton.
Schmidt said the items were sold for $2,775 last November by the owner of a storage facility where they had been kept. The items also include computers, clothes and furniture.
A spokesman for Hilton, Elliot Mintz, said the items "may have been illegally seized," but said he was not sure exactly how they found their way to Schmidt.
"The possibility that many people would be reading her journal is really disquieting," Mintz told Reuters. "She's feeling a combination of anger, certainly confusion, and just tremendous sadness."
Mintz said he had not seen the items and could not confirm what they were, but Hilton's attorneys have approached Schmidt about getting the items back.
"We are in discussions," Schmidt confirmed to Reuters.
It was unclear exactly how the items were taken from the Los Angeles-area storage locker Hilton had maintained. Mintz said monthly invoices were sent to Hilton's accountants and paid. But he added that a third party, whose name he did not disclose, was involved in the transaction.
Hilton, 24, is the star of reality TV show "The Simple Life." She became a celebrity by turning up at high-profile society and entertainment events and appearing in numerous magazines and on television.
In 2003, a homemade sex tape of her and a former boyfriend circulated on the Internet, increasing her notoriety.
"She has gone through her share of public embarrassment," Mintz said. "This becomes yet another one of those moments."
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