Lindsay's Pal Sues to Prove Loyalty

07/17/2007 11:00 AM, E! Online


Samantha Ronson is out to prove just how much she values her friendship with Lindsay Lohan.

The Los Angeles disc jockey has filed a multimillion-dollar libel suit against paparazzi agency Sunset Photo and gossip blogger Perez Hilton for daring to suggest she betrayed Lohan by planting drugs in the actress' car and selling her out to the paparazzi. (View the court documents.)

In her court documents, Ronson took issue with reports published on both the Sunset Photo-operated site celebritybabylon.com and perezhilton.com that link her to the "usable amount" of a substance believed to be cocaine that was discovered in Lohan's Mercedes by police following her DUI arrest in May.

She also objected to claims circulated by the sites that she had accepted money from a photo agency in exchange for setting up shots of an incapacitated Lohan.

Celebrity Babylon editor-in-chief Jill Ishkanian said the site had yet to be served with the suit as of Tuesday afternoon, while Mario Lavandeira, aka Perez Hilton, said he did not deserve to be named as a defendant.

"My inclusion in the lawsuit against Sunset News & Photo is without merit and publicity-seeking. This is between them, not me," the blogger said in a statement emailed to E! Online.

Ronson, who has been frequently photographed alongside Lohan, was along for the ride when the actress crashed her Mercedes convertible in the wee hours of May 26, resulting in her arrest for driving under the influence and subsequent stint in rehab.

The following night, it was Ronson's turn to drive Lohan home after a late night at the clubs. While chauffeuring her passed-out pal, she stopped for gas, giving shutterbugs the opportunity to snap the infamous shots of a slack-jawed Lohan slumped over in the passenger seat. 

Shortly thereafter, Celebrity Babylon published a report about the incident, citing a source who insisted the stop was premeditated.

"The car was only down a quarter tank and yet Samantha stopped for gas. She has a side deal with a photo agency and they paid her to make the pit stop!" the source was quoted as saying.

The site also cited other sources who claimed Ronson was the owner of the contraband found in Lohan's car.

"There were three of them crammed into the Mercedes sports car and Samantha was the one that had the cocaine with her. Lindsay later questioned her about leaving it in the car for the cops to find and Samantha blew her off," a source was quoted as saying.

According to Ronson's suit, Celebrity Babylon "falsely, maliciously and intentionally" published the statements about her, despite knowing they were untrue. She alleges that Perez Hilton reprinted the same information on his site on June 1, adding additional quips such as "With friends like Samantha, Lindsay doesn't need any enemies."

The deejay claims the sites damaged her professional reputation by publishing the statements, and exposed her to "hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy" by making her appear to be a "disloyal, dishonest friend who 'sold out' and 'set up' her friend Lohan for personal financial gain."

She is seeking no less than $20 million in damages, plus legal fees.

As for Lohan, she checked out of rehab Friday after a 45-day stay at the Promises treatment center in Malibu and is "doing great," according to her rep.

In a further display of her commitment to sobriety, the 21-year-old actress has voluntarily elected to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet, in part so that there will be no questions about what she's imbibing when she hits the clubs.