Paris is shown after having dinner with Zeta Graff, who is in the passenger’s seat, at Mr. Chows in March, 2006
Paris Hilton was just about to have to go to court for a $10 million defamation case against her by a woman named Zeta Graff, one of two defamation suits against the heiress. Paris told Page Six a whopper of a lie back in July of 2005, claiming that Graff attacked her in a London nightclub and ripped her necklace off, causing staff to throw Graff out. In a November, 2005 deposition Paris hilariously dismissed the fact that she leaked the false news to Page Six. She called the article in The Post “genius” and said “whatever I write in email, it doesn’t mean anything. It is just words I write.” She also didn’t recognize that London was in the U.K. during questioning.

Right before the jury was about to be selected for the trial, Paris settled with Graff for at least $2 million, the exact amount is unknown:

Paris Hilton finally blinked. Just a day before jury selection was scheduled to begin in diamond diva Zeta Graff’s much-anticipated defamation suit against the hotel heiress, Paris forked up enough cash to settle the case. Sources pegged the damage at north of $2 million. In the suit, Graff alleged that Hilton planted a story on Page Six two years ago which falsely claimed a jealous Graff – the ex-girlfriend of Paris Latsis – had ripped a necklace off Hilton’s neck and been thrown out of London nightclub Kabaret, while Barry Manilow’s “Copacabana” played mockingly in the background. Graff’s lawyer, Michael Avenatti, said, “Both parties are glad the matter could be resolved without the time and expense of a trial.”

[From Page Six]

Maybe Paris will think twice about “words she writes” hastily on her Blackberry, considering how expensive these few sentences were to her.

There is another defamation case pending against Paris by party planner Brian Quintana. He was granted a three year restraining order against her after she made threatening phone calls to him, famously calling him a “lazy Mexican.” Quintana was friends with Paris, until he is said to have told Paris’ then-boyfriend, Stavros Niarchos III, to dump her to get back with Mary-Kate Olsen. [Excerpted from a previous article we wrote on Celebitchy]

It’s doubtful that much will come of that other case unfortunately. Back in April, 2006 Quintana offered to drop the case against Paris if she would only attend the opening of the nightclub he was managing, Teddy’s. It’s unknown if she took him up on the offer, but considering how much her appearance fee is worth, he probably figures it would be worth it. Paris said she wouldn’t charge a 1/2 million for a New Year’s appearance, as was recently reported, but a night with Paris is probably worth 6 figures. Still, that’s much less than she paid Graff for talking smack about her to the press. She was said to have made harassing phone calls to Quintana and she used a racial slur against him. If he’s smart he’ll keep the screws to Paris and get some decent cash out of her too.