Lizzie Grubman

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At the Digital Life technology conference in New York City, 2005
At the Digital Life technology conference in New York City, 2005

Elizabeth "Lizzie" Grubman (born January 30, 1971) is an American publicist. She is the daughter of entertainment lawyer, Allen Grubman, and his wife, the late Yvette Grubman.[1]

Grubman is well-known as a publicist for celebrities, founding her own company in 1996, and has represented Britney Spears, Jay-Z and the Backstreet Boys.[2] The 2005 reality show PoweR Girls on MTV centered around a group of young publicists working for Grubman's PR firm.[3][4] The title is a reference to a 1998 cover story in New York magazine, that profiled Grubman and several of her rivals, noting that "Lizzie was clearly the most powerful girl of all."[5]

Grubman attended New York City prep schools Horace Mann School, Lenox School and Dwight School.[5] She graduated from Northeastern University.[1][6] In 1995, she married Eric Gatoff, an associate at her father's law firm.[1] She married Chris Stern on March 17, 2006, and gave birth to their first child, a son named Harrison Irving Stern, on December 12, 2006.[7]

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[edit] 2001 SUV incident

On July 7, 2001, Grubman drove her SUV into a crowd of people outside a nightclub in the Hamptons, injuring 16 people. After being asked by security guards to remove her Mercedes from a fire lane, she backed the vehicle into the crowd and was later charged in a 26-count indictment, for felony crimes including second-degree assault, driving while intoxicated, and reckless endangerment.[8] Grubman had been facing up to eight years in prison, but only served 37 days in jail and received five year's probation after reaching a plea bargain.[7]

The trial garnered widespread media coverage, [9][8][10] not because of the particular circumstances of the crash (which, while noteworthy was not exceptional), but because of what Richard Johnson, editor of the New York Post's Page 6, referred to as "the overreaching drama of class warfare."[11] Grubman was alleged to have made an inflammatory statement before striking her victims with her vehicle: "Fuck you, white trash"[12]. Later, allegations arose that she received "special treatment"[13] at the hands of police, who did not perform a Breathalyzer test,[13] despite allegations (and later, criminal charges) that she was intoxicated at the time of the incident.[14][8]

Grubman has claimed that the SUV incident was an accident.[15] An expert hired by the plaintiffs in a civil case against her who reconstructed the accident based on data from the car's "black box" stated that in his view her actions were likely intentional.[16]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c WEDDINGS; Eric Gatoff and Lizzie Grubman, The New York Times. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  2. ^ "Accident expert says Grubman intentionally ran down people in 2001", USA Today, April 27, 2004. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Power Girls, MTV. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  4. ^ Sternbergh, Adam. "Lizzie Grubman’s Star Vehicle", New York magazine, March 7, 2005. Accessed 2007-09-12.
  5. ^ a b "Reversal of Fortune", New York magazine, July 30, 2001. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  6. ^ The New York magazine profile indicates that "Lizzie attended Northeastern University for two years but didn't graduate."
  7. ^ a b Hamm, Liza. "Lizzie Grubman Gives Birth to Baby Boy", People magazine, December 14, 2006. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c "Grubman's gamble: Beat the DWI", Court TV, July 17, 2002. Accessed November 24, 2007. "Grubman's lawyer, Stephen Scaring, said the defense will focus on disproving the driving while intoxicated charge a grand jury returned last September against the 31-year-old celebrity party organizer.... Grubman was also indicted for felony charges of vehicular assault and second-degree assault."
  9. ^ Ripley, Amanda. "Rage Of The Hamptons", Time maagzine, July 15, 2001. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  10. ^ Times Topics: Elizabeth S. Grubman, The New York Times. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  11. ^ Martin, Rick. [1], The New York Times, July 15, 2001. Accessed November 24, 2007.
  12. ^ [2], Court TV reproduction of State Supreme Court Complaint, filed by the victim Scott Conlon, July 16, 2001. Accessed November 24, 2007. See page 8: "In particular response to the request of the plaintiff, in his capacity as security supervisor at the aforesaid Conscience Point Inn, for the defendant LIZZIE GRUBMAN to move the motor vehicle, the defendant uttered the statement: 'Fuck you, white trash'."
  13. ^ a b Springer, John. "A year after Hamptons horror, publicity princess could be poised for a plea deal", Court TV, July 2, 2002. Accessed November 24, 2007.
  14. ^ [3], Court TV reproduction of State Supreme Court Complaint, filed by the victim Scott Conlon, July 16, 2001. Accessed November 24, 2007. See page 2, items 10, 11, and 12.
  15. ^ Gregorian, Dareh. "FINALLY! THE 'LAST' OF LIZZIE", The New York Post, August 17, 2007. Accessed September 10, 2007.
  16. ^ "Accident expert says Grubman intentionally ran down people in 2001", USA Today, April 27, 2004. Accessed September 10, 2007.

[edit] Sources

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