Wednesday 4 June 2008

NY student accuses Lindsay Lohan of stealing coat

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A New York student claiming Lindsay Lohan made off with her $11,000 mink coat after both women attended a party at a Manhattan nightclub sued the actress on Monday for damages.


Masha Markova, a Columbia University student, said the coat -- a treasured gift from her grandmother -- disappeared in January during a private party at the trendy 1Oak nightclub, where Lohan, 21, was also a guest.


Some time later, Markova spotted Lohan posing in the coat in a photograph in OK! magazine, Markova's lawyer, Merrill Cohen, said.


Markova complained to the club and said the coat was eventually returned to her smelling of "cigarettes and liquor."


Lohan's actions were "intentional, oppressive and malicious and were carried out with reckless disregard" for Markova's rights, according to the lawsuit, filed in New York state court. She did not specify the amount of damages sought.


A representative for Lohan was not immediately available for comment.


Lohan shot to fame after starring in such films as "Freaky Friday," "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" and "Mean Girls" before succumbing to several stints in rehabilitation and spending time behind bars for a drunken driving and cocaine-possession conviction.


(Reporting by Edith Honan, editing by Michelle Nichols)