The tabloid that printed an unsubstantiated account of an actress as a "surfer grifter" is being named in a 10-page lawsuit that seeks actual and punitive damages for defamation and false light invasion of privacy, as reported by the Courthouse News Service.
Hannah Cornett, known for her appearances in "Hawaii Five-O", "Reno 911" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live" claims that gossip blog Gawker reported that she used another person's credit card while on a trip in Las Vegas.
The Gawker headline read, "Surfer Grifter: The Weird Tale of Hannah Cornett and Her $20K Vegas Hotel Bill."
Cornett claims that the story is false "in nearly every respect." She further claims that the source of the story, J.A., had "an ax to grind." According to the lawsuit, J.A. is a friend of Cornett's former roommate, C.C..
The suit states that J.A. invited to C.C. Las Vegas in May of 2011. Cornett claims that she merely "accompanied" C.C. on the trip.
Cornett claims that once she arrived at the Cosmopolitan Hotel she put her credit card on file, however, she maintains that without her knowledge J.A. replaced her credit card information with his own.
The suit states that J.A. and C.C. engaged in sex during the trip and then J.A. pursued Cornett. Cornett rebuffed his advances.
The complaint explained that C.C., feeling guilty about having sex with J.A., contacted her boyfriend and told him what had happened. C.C.'s boyfriend then joined them in Las Vegas.
The suit states that it was C.C. and her boyfriend that "amassed charges on J.A.'s credit card which Ms. Cornett has been falsely accused of."
Allegedly the only charge that Cornett used was for an in-room massage, though she presumed that she was using her own credit card on file. Cornett said that "[e]ssentially all other charges were done by Ms. C.C. and Ms. C.C.'s boyfriend."
The Gawker article listed Cornett's expenses as nearly $2,000 for the Sahra spa, over $3,000 for purchases in a retail store, and minibar items such as many bottles of $30 Champagne. All of the purchases, according to J.A., were signed for by Cornett. Cornett claims that since C.C. shared her suite and that C.C. "could have either signed Ms. Cornett's name or used defendant J.A.'s express consent."
Along with her acting career, Cornet claims to be an athlete and philanthropist. Gawker also printed articles that alleged Cornett had lied about her career in sports.
Cornett sites Gawker for using a source "with an ax to grind" for the purpose of wreaking "havoc" on her life.
The suit states, "Gawker threw caution to the wind in its reckless pursuit for more hits on its website despite the fact that J.A. completely lacked credibility and was plainly biased. Rather than contacting Ms. Cornett about the story, Gawker published reprehensible propaganda in the absence of any reputable evidence whatsoever to support, verify, or corroborate it."
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