A judge is giving Naomi Campbell a chance to defend herself in court over allegations she lied under oath as part of an ongoing lawsuit.
The British supermodel is currently locked in a legal dispute with her former agent, Carole White, and executives at cosmetics marketing company Moodform Mission, who are suing her for allegedly backing out of a fragrance deal with the firm and failing to meet obligations to promote the range.
A lawyer representing Moodform filed papers late last year (10) asking for the Manhattan District Attorney in New York to consider prosecuting Campbell for perjury after she allegedly lied under oath in her affidavit. The star strenuously denied the claims.
White has also offered up a recording of a 2006 meeting about the deal, which she claims supports the allegation that Campbell lied.
The case went back to court in New York on Thursday (27Jan11) and Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Judith Gische called the accusations "serious," according to the New York Post.
The publication reports the judge has given Campbell and her legal team the chance to respond to the allegations in court before she decides whether to refer the case to the district attorney.
Campbell is counter-suing White, claiming she signed the fragrance deal without knowing the full details and accusing the agent of concealing her role as a co-director at Moodform.