Hilton sued over cousin's motorway pile-up

Socialite Paris Hilton is being sued for causing a motorway pileup she wasn't involved in.

Hilton has been named legally responsible for the chain collision that took place in Los Angeles in 2004 when her teenage cousin was behind the wheel of her Mercedes.

According to the suit, filed in Los Angeles yesterday - and obtained by TMZ.com, Brooke Ashley Brinson failed to slow down when she saw traffic slowing in front of her - and piled into four other vehicles.

And although Hilton wasn't in the car at the time, she's being named in the suit because the plaintiffs feel her insurance company should pay up for all the damage caused.

Lawyer Mauro Fiore, who is representing the plaintiffs in the case, claims two of the adults involved suffered "serious injuries" as a result of Brinson's poor judgment.

Fiore said he filed a claim with Hilton's insurance company, and was shocked to learn that Hilton had the bare minimum coverage for property damage - GBP2,780. The lawyer is asking for GBP139,000 for each plaintiff.

The latest suit comes just days after Hilton was videotaped reversing into a parked car and then driving off without leaving her contact details - a violation of California law.