Auto insurance company for Paris Hilton’s brother told to pay $4.6 million to victim in DUI case
InsuranceQuotes.com staff
A jury in Southern California has ordered the auto insurer for hotel heir Barron Hilton — younger brother of Paris Hilton — to pay $4.6 million to the man he hit while driving intoxicated, according to RadarOnline.com.
Barron Hilton, 21, was sued by Fernando Telez, a former gas station worker who was hit by Hilton just moments before Hilton was arrested for DUI in 2008, RadarOnline.com reported.
Hilton later pleaded no contest to the DUI charge and to possessing a fake ID. He was placed on three years’ probation, fined $2,000 and ordered to take alcohol education classes.
Telez sued Barron for injuries he suffered. The jury in Santa Monica, Calif., found June 7, 2011, that Barron’s auto insurance company must pay $4.6 million in compensatory damages to Telez, RadarOnline.com reported. The RadarOnline.com story didn’t name the insurance company.
The jury comes back June 10 to determine whether any punitive damages should be paid to Telez, who claimed he suffered a broken back.
If the jury awards punitive damages, Barron Hilton will be responsible for paying them, RadarOnline.com reported. Under California law, insurance companies are liable only for compensatory damages.
