Maid victims De Niro and Hightower (Photo: Jim Spellman)

You have to love Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz, the maid accused of pocketing valuables from the home of Robert De Niro and his wife, actress Grace Hightower. Police say she copped to swiping Hightower's $95,000 diamond earrings and going on a shopping spree with a stolen credit card, but at least she has a decent excuse:

Turyk-Wawrynowicz, 35, told police after her arrest in June that if ... Hightower had "treated me better, with more respect, I probably wouldn't have done this."

"If Mr. De Niro knew how badly she treats her kids, he would leave her," Turyk-Wawrynowicz also told police, according to court papers yesterday in Manhattan Supreme Court.

"I didn't steal from Isabella Rossellini because she treated me well," she added. "I only stole from people who didn't treat me with respect."

The Reeler hears that Michael Bay and DreamWorks are planning a similar defense against Robert Fiveson, the writer/director who alleges they stole his idea for The Island. And why shouldn't they? Fiveson totally fucking hated Pearl Harbor.