Paris Hilton Hallmark Lawsuit Settled

Paris Hilton just got her Hallmark Moment.

The heiress has reached a settlement in a 2007 lawsuit against greeting cards manufacturer Hallmark, in which the socialite (then just two weeks out of jail on a probation violation charge) slammed the company for using her image without permission.

The hotel heiress sued Hallmark, claiming they used her picture and her catchphrase “That’s Hot!” on a card with the caption: “Paris’s First Day as a Waitress.” She alleged the card was based on a scene from her now-defunct reality show The Simple Life and claimed her publicity rights had been violated. Last year, a federal appeals court ruled against Hallmark’s position arguing the card was a parody and entitling the company to free-speech protections.

Hilton had been expected to battle it out with Hallmark heads in court this December, but last week, lawyers for both sides told a California judge that they had reached a settlement. The details of the agreement have not been released, but Hilton had been seeking $500,000 in damages.

News of the settlement comes a week after Hilton was refused entry to Japan by immigration officials due to her summer arrests of drug charges.