HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Whitney Port is facing some drama off the runway.
The 25-year-old star is being sued by a former associate who claims she got the shaft after helping Port design her clothing line.
In a lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Adrienne Baravetto says she started a collection called Eve & A in 2007 with The City star and her father, Jeffrey Port.
Baravetto alleges she had an oral agreement that called for an $80,000 yearly salary plus a 25 percent stake in the company, but that she was dismissed soon after the venture started to take off. The designer also contends that Port and her father changed the line's name to Whitney Eve after cutting her out of the deal.
Baravetto is seeking $90,000 in back pay plus punitive damages.
Port's lawyer, Michael A. Taitelman, has responded by calling the suit "baseless and without merit."
"Whitney Port is, and always has been, the designer of Whitney Eve," said Taitelman in a statement. "Baravetto worked for Whitney Eve for a short period of time ending in early 2008. For more than two years, she has been silent. For reasons that we will uncover, she has decided to make these unsubstantiated allegations at this time. The defendants will vigorously defend themselves, and upon the successful conclusion of this lawsuit in their favor, they intend to hold Baravetto and her counsel accountable for their reckless conduct."
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