Paula Abdul's Back-Busting Driveway Costs Nearly $1 Million

Former X Factor judge's camp agrees to $900,000 payout to woman who fell down outside her house

By Natalie Finn Feb 22, 2012 11:52 PMTags
Paula AbdulJason LaVeris/FilmMagic

Was Paula Abdul feeling the guilt factor?

Simon Cowell's former right-hand judge has agreed to a $900,000 settlement for a woman who suffered a nasty fall in the "Straight Up" singer's driveway during filming of the short-lived reality show Hey Paula in 2007, the plaintiff's attorney confirmed Wednesday to E! News.

Jill Kohl, who sued Abdul in 2009, said that she had to undergo a series of back surgeries as a result and was entitled to damages.

And, it turns out, the six figures from Abdul isn't all she's getting.

Scott Sternberg Productions, the company behind Hey Paula, has agreed to kick in another $100,000, upping Kohl's payday to $1 million.

A trial had been scheduled for Feb. 14, but the two sides came to an agreement beforehand, according to Kohl's lawyer, Robert Rodriguez Clayton.

Abdul's counsel, meanwhile, clarified to E! News that the defendants' insurance companies took the lead in this case.

"Absolutely no monies of the settlement will be paid by Paula Abdul," said attorney Vicki Greco. "All monies agreed to be paid to Jill Kohl as part of the settlement will be funded by the parties' respective insurance carriers. While a settlement was reached between the parties in the case, we were confident that she would prevail at trial. The decision to settle the case was a business decision made solely by Ms. Abdul's insurance carrier."

Still, this hasn't exactly been Abdul's year yet, has it? Along with Nicole Scherzinger, she lost her seat at the X Factor judges table last month and hasn't announced any new projects yet.

No wonder she took off on a cruise! "Having a blast on @RoyalCaribbean Oasis of the Seas this week :)) so many cool things to do & plenty of sunshine!!" Abdul tweeted yesterday.

—Additional reporting by Baker Machado