Naomi Campbell's Ex-Boyfriend Sued Her For $3M

In September 2020, Naomi Campbell's billionaire ex-boyfriend, Vladimir Doronin sued her for $3 million. It wasn't the first time the supermodel was caught in a legal scandal. Frequently associated with anger issues in the past, the No Filter with Naomi host had been convicted of physical assault on four occasions from 1998 to 2015. At one point, she was sentenced to 200 hours of community service at New York City's sanitation department which she infamously finished in a Dolce & Gabbana couture gown.

In 2010, she also testified at the war crimes trial against former Liberia president, Charles Taylor. There, she notably said the iconic line: "I was made to be here. Obviously, I just want to get this over with and get on with my life. This is a terrible inconvenience to me." Now 51 and a new mother to a baby girl, Campbell has turned over a new leaf. However, her legal dispute with her ex raised new concerns among fans. Here's the real story behind that multi-million dollar lawsuit.

Campbell and Doronin started dating in 2008. The two met at the Cannes Film Festival that year. The following year, the 58-year-old real estate developer divorced his wife of 21 years, Ekaterina Doronina with whom he shares a grown-up daughter named Katya. When asked about the relationship of the supermodel and the Russian oligarch, their friend told New York Post, "It can't be just about the cash, it's about the game. It's a power thing."

Campbell had previously dated other rich men including former F1 boss Flavio Briatore, oil tycoon Badr Jafar, ex-chairman of Philip Morris International Louis Camilleri, and Toyota heir Hassan Jameel who also dated Rihanna. The Fashion for Relief founder was also engaged to U2's Adam Clayton and was linked to other famous personalities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs, Mike Tyson, Liam Payne, and more.

It was with Doronin that friends close to the model thought she had "a bit more balance, a bit more discipline." They said, "Things were ordered when Naomi was with him." For five years, the two enjoyed lavish dates around the world. They were often spotted on yachts or attending prestigious events together. The Russian billionaire even gifted Campbell a 25-bedroom vacation home shaped like the Egyptian Eye of Horus for her 41st birthday. It's on the Cleopatra Island in Turkey’s Gulf of Gökova.

Campbell also threw Doronin an extravagant 50th birthday party. She rented out the entire 15th century Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, India. It was a star-studded event with 200 international guests who were ferried via 13 chartered planes. Diana Ross was paid about $700,000 to sing at the party. Their shared love for luxury made them compatible, at least to the public. In 2013, they broke up due to differences in their lifestyles.

"Vlad did not want her to work," an insider said. "She knew that if she continued to work, it would come down to work or her personal life. And her personal life seems to have taken the toll." Campbell recently opened up about having to "sacrifice finding a soulmate" for her career. The source also said that before finalizing their split, Doronin had already been spotted with Chinese model Luo Zilin in Ibiza. It's when the top model decided to call it quits. To make it worse, she had mentored the former Miss Universe China in the British reality show, The Face.

The truth is, Campbell sued Doronin first. In February 2020, she filed papers in London "to get some of her things back that are in his possession," said a source close to Kenya's newly appointed tourism ambassador. "She’s been asking for these things back for years, but they’ve had no recent conversation. And then he went and did this." They also revealed that Campbell wasn't infuriated about the situation. It was actually the other way around.

The billionaire alleged that the model hadn't paid him back for loans he lent her during the course of their relationship. He also said that she still had some of his properties which he valued at $3 million. Doronin's lawyer Paul M. O’Connor III said that his client had tried to resolve "a series of ongoing disputes" with Campbell in private. "Unfortunately, despite our client's best efforts that was not possible, and seeking resolution through the legal system is the only option remaining," he added. There haven't been any updates on whether it was settled or not. Meanwhile, some fans think it's just a rich-people version of being petty at an ex.