"Distraught" Paris' Slander Suit Postponed

Tue., May. 15, 2007 4:09 PM PDT by Sarah Hall

Paris Hilton was so "traumatized" by the outcome of her most recent court appearance that she needs time to recover before she can attend to the other legal issues on her docket.

That's the word from a psychiatrist who evaluated the hotel namesake and determined that she should not be forced to give testimony next week in the $10 million civil suit filed against her by diamond heiress Zeta Graff.

Graff, a former girlfriend of Hilton's ex-fiancé, Paris Latsis, sued her rival in summer 2005, accusing the Simple Life star of planting "vicious lies" about her in the New York Post.

In a court declaration obtained by E! News, Dr. Charles Sophy claimed Hilton's May 4 sentencing on a probation violation left her too "emotionally distraught" to "respond to examination as a witness or provide any significant input into her defense." (See the declaration here.)

Putting the heiress on the stand, Sophy claimed, could potentially "exacerbate her current mental condition."

In keeping with the shrink's recommendation, a judge rescheduled the trial for Aug. 22.

With that obligation off her schedule, Hilton can continue focusing on her new much-photographed pastime of working out with a personal trainer, presumably in the effort to bulk up in preparation for any violent prison encounters.

The celebutante has been ordered to turn herself in by June 5 to begin serving a 45-day sentence for violating her probation on an alcohol-related reckless driving charge.

Though the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department initially said she could expect to serve her full sentence without any hope of getting out earlier, it was revealed last week that Hilton would probably wind up spending three weeks or less behind bars due to overcrowded prison conditions.

With jail time imminent, Tori Spelling's mom has taken it upon herself to give Hilton a stern talking-to.

In an open letter obtained by E! News, Candy Spelling chided the hotel heiress for her recent actions and urged her to "get real."

"As someone who has known you for most of your life, I pay special attention to your press coverage," Spelling wrote.

"Paris, I'm very worried about you."

The Spelling matriarch specifically took issue with the way Hilton presented herself in the courtroom earlier this month, criticizing her for "blaming employees" and offering "silly excuses" for her legal problems.

She also addressed her concerns about Hilton's friends "stag[ing] embarrassing protests (three people?)" and "wast[ing] taxpayer funds" by petitioning Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger for a pardon.

"It's time to find a Paris somewhere between 'heiress' and a character on The Simple Life," Spelling advised. "I know she's there, and I know she can be a good citizen and maturely face consequences other people would have to face under the same circumstances."

Hilton had yet to publicly respond to Spelling's missive, which was first published by TMZ. However, she issued a statement last week claiming she was "ready to face the consequences of violating probation."

"No one is above the law. I surely am not. I do not expect to be treated better than anyone else who violated probation," the heiress said. "However, my hope is that I will not be treated worse."

As Spelling sees it, special treatment is exactly what Hilton has come to expect.

"People who are rich and famous are not treated like 'regular' people, even though you claim to now be just like everyone else," Spelling wrote.

And she would know.