Hilary Swank's Good Deed Pays Off  3/30/07

Oscar winner Hilary Swank discovered a good deed can get you out of trouble when she escaped a speeding fine after helping a lady with her groceries.

The actress stopped to help a shopper in a hurry when she noticed everyone in the Los Angeles bakery/restaurant she uses to learn her lines was busy - and her efforts were noticed by an impressed traffic cop.

The same cop pulled Swank over for speeding on the Pacific Coast Highway days later.

She recalls, "He goes, 'Hey, Ms Swank... You know what, you were speeding...

but I'm gonna let you off for being a Good Samaritan.'

"I said, 'What? What did I do?' and he said, 'I was at that bakery a few days ago when you got behind the counter and helped that woman, that actually happened to be the judge of Malibu.'

"The moral of the story is, if you're in a bakery and they're short-handed, get behind the counter; you never know when it's gonna help you out."