Agency report

New York, Mar 31: Volatile supermodel Naomi Campbell was taken to a Manhattan police precinct for questioning Thursday after an altercation left her housekeeper hospitalized with a laceration to the head, police said.

Campbell, 35, one of the world's most recognizable models, was taken into custody shortly after police responded to Lenox Hill Hospital to investigate a reported assault, police said. The victim, a 41-year-old woman, met with the investigating officers and identified Campbell as her attacker, police said.

The victim was not identified, and the extent of her injury was not known. The incident allegedly happened around 8 a.m. Thursday in a Manhattan apartment, police said. In a statement, a Campbell spokesman said the supermodel was not responsible for any assault.

"We believe this is a case of retaliation, because Naomi had fired her housekeeper earlier this morning," said the statement from J R Johnson. "We are confident the courts will see it the same way."

No charges were immediately filed against Campbell, who was discovered at age 15 and launched a career that landed her in magazines worldwide — including the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

The mercurial Campbell, born in London, has a reputation for angry outbursts and abusive behaviour. In 2003, Campbell was sued by a former administrative assistant who alleged that the supermodel had thrown a phone at her during a tantrum two years earlier in a Beverly Hills hotel.

The assistant said Campbell had also grabbed her by the arms and thrown her down on a couch.

In February 2000, Campbell pleaded guilty in Toronto to an assault charge for beating another assistant while making a film in Canada in 1998.