Campbell Circumvents Court

11/06/1998 at 12:00 AM EST

Supermodel Naomi Campbell will be allowed to enter a plea in absentia in a case that accuses her of hitting her former assistant. The court date is Feb. 2. Campbell, 29, is accused of beating Georgina Galanis in 1998 while in Toronto to make the movie "Prisoner of Love." Galanis, 39, says in court papers that she worked as Campbell's assistant for nine days during filming, and that Campbell hit her twice in the head with a telephone, punched her shoulder twice, grabbed her neck and violently shook her head. Galanis is seeking $2 million in damages.