In the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Hilton said defendants Nabil and Nabila Haniss purchased the Hilton content for $2,775 and then sold to a third person, Bardia Persa, for $10 million.
Hilton said numerous items, including personal photos, audiotapes, videos and other material, were put into storage two years ago after she and her sister Nicky moved out of a house after it was robbed.
Hilton claimed that a removal company neglected to pay storage fees and that she was “shocked and surprised” to learn that her belongings had been sold at a public auction.
“I was appalled to learn that people are exploiting my and my sisters’ private personal belongings for commercial gain,” she said in the suit. “[It is] one of the most reprehensible invasions of privacy of a celebrity.”
In addition to claiming invasion of privacy, Hilton said she filed copyright registrations for three pieces of writing that are contained in the belongings. She claimed the website is engaging in copyright infringement.
The $39.97-a-month website includes topless pictures of Hilton, as well as photos of her bathing in a tub. It also includes photos of then-boyfriend, “Girls Gone Wild” owner Joe Francis and features elements of her passport.
Other content includes a prescription for the antibiotic Valtrex — which, among other things, is used to treat herpes.
Hilton’s publicist Elliot Mintz told NBC that she would like the site shut down and “would like all of these items returned to her.”
At press time, XBIZ was unable to find the whereabouts of Nabil and Nabila Haniss, who live in Culver City, Calif., and Persa.
XBIZ has obtained a copy of the complaint; it is available here.
