A prominent philanthropist told police she was distracted and looking for her glasses when she crashed her Porsche into a parked car last year, seriously injuring the other driver, according to a lawsuit filed this week in San Francisco Superior Court.
Vanessa Getty, who married into the family that made its fortune in oil, struck Mary Riley’s vehicle March 28, 2024, on Divisadero Street, according to Riley’s attorney Quinton Cutlip. Riley’s door was open, and she was getting into her 2008 Mercedes-Benz CLK 550 when Getty’s Porsche Taycan struck.
“Suddenly and without warning a vehicle driven by Defendant Vanessa Louise Getty violently crashed into Plaintiff’s parked vehicle,” the lawsuit states.
Riley suffered a “traumatic brain injury” and orthopedic damage, according to the lawsuit.
“According to the police report, Ms. Getty told the officer that she had been distracted because she was looking for her glasses,” Cutlip said in an email Friday. “Ms. Getty was negligent and was apologetic at the scene.”
Riley was transported to a hospital by ambulance and “continues to receive treatment and care for injuries she suffered in the collision,” Cutlip said.
The San Francisco Fire Department confirmed that one person was taken to the hospital after a crash at the intersection at 4:42 p.m. Both vehicles were towed from the scene.
Getty, 52, is married to Billy Getty, son of composer and oil heir Gordon Getty. Born Vanessa Jarman, she is the daughter of actor Claude Jarman Jr. and ballerina Maryann Opperman. A UCLA graduate, she married into the Getty family in 1999. The couple have three children. She is frequently photographed at exclusive events, such as Vanity Fair’s Oscar party.
Getty serves as an honorary co-chair of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and founded the San Francisco Bay Humane Friends animal charity. She has been a major supporter of Democratic political campaigns, including that of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is godmother to one of Getty’s children.
The lawsuit, filed June 18, seeks unspecified damages for Riley’s injuries, according to court documents.
“This will all work itself out through the civil litigation process and trial, if necessary,” Cutlip said, declining further comment.
Neither Getty nor her representatives could be reached for comment.