Louie Ruelas’ battle with his ex-fiancée Vanessa Reiser has turned nasty as the RHONJ husband responded to a new lawsuit filed in February.
The U.S. Sun reports that Teresa Giudice’s husband, Louie Ruelas, claims his ex was disclosing confidential information about him and his wife to their RHONJ cast members to use against them on the hit Bravo show.
In February, attorney Kevin S. Johnson and his firm, Johnson Litigation Group, alleged that Louie Ruelas and private investigator Bo Dielt launched a “harassment and abuse” campaign against Vanessa Reiser.
Louie, Bo Dietl, and other defendants filed a response to the lawsuit on April 18. In addition to airing their counterclaims, Louie, Bo, and others also denied the plaintiff’s claims about hacking and digging up dirt on Vanessa.
The RHONJ husband alleges that Johnson and his law firm used “unlawful and egregious misconduct” and “breached their ethical obligations.” He also claims that Johnson “slandered” him and caused him to suffer “significant harm.”
In the filing, Louie also alleges that Vanessa, a licensed psychotherapist, was gossiping with various members of the RHONJ cast so that they could then use the information against him and Teresa.
He also accuses Vanessa of working with the RHONJ cast to cause drama.
“Ruelas believed Reiser was disclosing confidential information to patients and cast members of Real Housewives of New Jersey (RHONJ) to use against him and his wife, in an attempt to bolster the collogue of the show and continue the relentless campaign of harassment, despite existing orders precluding this type of conduct,” the filing states.
It’s unclear if the “leaked information” will be addressed throughout season 14 of RHONJ, which is set to premiere on May 5.
At the season 13 reunion, several RHONJ cast members accused Louie of hiring Bo Dietl to investigate them, which the New Jersey businessman denied.
The allegations further divded the RHONJ cast which was already split into separate camps -aka “Team Teresa” and “Team Melissa.”
Elsewhere in the court filing, Louie admits that as part of his investigation into Vanessa’s alleged misconduct, “investigators attended therapy sessions with Reiser to gain first-hand knowledge of Reiser’s improprieties and violations of both ethical and legal conduct.”
He also alleges that Johnson falsified emails “under fake names/personas” to “damage Ruelas’ chances in the court of law, stir controversy, and create reality TV content.”
The 48-year-old goes on to claim that Johnson and Vanessa had a “peculiar interest in certain RHONJ cast members” as well as they had an “obsession with Ruelas and RHONJ.”
“The court found that Johnson had a bizarre infatuation with the cast members of RHONJ, that of which is upon information and belief the basis for the continued media blitz and false and misleading statements made therein,” he continues.
This all resulted in Louie’s reputation being “damaged beyond repair” as Johnson sent confidential emails to his adversaries, knowing it would hurt him “both economically and personally” as well as “make for good Reality TV.”
In court documents, Louie further argues that he “suffered economic injury and mental anguish,” like losing his job, and “multiple business opportunities.”
On top of that, he also claims to have suffered more damages, including legal fees and costs, as well as “humiliation, severe anxiety, and emotional distress.”
As previously reported, Vanessa was denied a restraining order against the RHONJ husband in October 2023 when a New Jersey judge ruled in his favor.
“The court not only dismissed Ms. Reiser’s complaint and denied her application for a permanent restraining order, but also found that she was ‘obsessed’ with Mr. Ruelas, continuously bothering him and his family,” Louie’s attorney said at the time. “In essence, the court held that the filing of the restraining order was akin to a publicity stunt.”
When it comes to this new lawsuit, Louie is NOT backing down and is asking the court to award him punitive damages “in an amount to be determined at trial, but in no event less than [$]5,000,000,” plus attorneys’ fees.
In a statement to The U.S. Sun, the RHONJ husband’s lawyer, Jeremy Iandolo, said, “The relentless and baseless assaults by Johnson towards my client Ruelas have inflicted significant harm, both economic and emotionally.
“As such, we refuse to halt our defense and will continue our attack until Mr. Ruelas is fully vindicated, made whole, and can live his life in peace, free from unwarranted attacks of Johnson and Reiser, whom seem more interested in pursuing their own distorted version of fame.”
Stay tuned for more on this developing story!
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Season 14 of the Real Housewives of New Jersey premieres Sunday, May 5 at 8 p.m. ET.
