Publicity princess Lizzie Grubman and her celebrity-lawyer dad yesterday were slapped with a $30 million lawsuit by a victim she mowed down outside a trendy Hamptons nightclub.
The suit, filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, is the first of an expected slew of claims to be filed by 16 people whom Grubman hit with her father’s 2001 Mercedes-Benz SUV early Saturday morning outside the Conscience Point Inn.
Meanwhile, it emerged yesterday that Grubman had been partying the night of the incident with sexy “American Pie” star Tara Reid.
The two were seen together eating pasta in the kitchen at Alex von Furstenberg’s party Friday night, just hours before the incident, sources said.
Sources close to Grubman said Reid had been staying in the Hamptons during the July Fourth week with her new boyfriend, Jason Ader, a senior managing director and financial analyst at Bear Stearns.
During the days, Grubman had been hanging out with Ader and Reid, her close pal and client.
After the von Furstenberg clambake, as Grubman headed to the Conscience Point, sources said Reid and Ader went with another couple to Jet East -a club owned by Grubman’s ex-boyfriend Andrew Sasson.
Sasson would later allegedly whisk Grubman away from the scene of the accident at Conscience Point.
Reid declined to comment, and Ader did not return phone calls.
The lawsuit was filed by Manhattan entertainment promoter Adam Wacht, 38, who remains hospitalized with a shattered leg. His wife, Sally, also is a plaintiff, claiming the accident deprived her of Wacht’s “services, society, affection and consortium.”
The suit says Grubman, 30, negligently, carelessly and recklessly caused the accident. Another count in the suit claims the p.r. maven’s actions were intentional.
Legally, both claims cannot be true at the same time. That means that although the total damages claimed is $30million, the most the Wachts could claim is $20million.
In the lawsuit, Grubman’s multimillionaire father, Allen Grubman, is a defendant because the car belonged to him.
Neither the Wachts’ lawyer, Mark Manus, nor Grubman lawyer Edward Burke Jr. would comment on the suit.
But a source close to Lizzie Grubman told The Post, “It shows what this is all about -the money.
“Thirty-million dollars for a broken ankle? That is ridiculous!”
Southampton cops say Lizzie Grubman intentionally hit the gas of the SUV while in reverse after cursing out bouncers who asked her to move from a fire lane.
One bouncer and 15 other people waiting outside the club -which Lizzie Grubman represents -were injured.
Lizzie was arrested Sunday on nine felony charges, including assault, reckless endangerment and fleeing the scene of an accident.
She says the crash was unintentional, and remains free on a $25,000 bond.
Lizzie Grubman -whose clients have included Britney Spears and Jay-Z -faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. She has denied that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the crash, but she was not given a Breathalyzer test.
In other developments, both Lizzie Grubman and Scott Conlon -the bouncer she hit with the Mercedes after allegedly calling him “white trash” -have hired private investigators, sources said.
Conlon’s lawyer, Chris Modelewski, yesterday said his client has liver damage and an injured knee and shoulder.
Modelewski said that he plans to speak with Lizzie Grubman’s lawyer about a possible out-of-court settlement, but if that fails, Conlon will sue. He said he estimates Conlon deserves a settlement in the “seven-figure” range -$1 million or more.