'Real Housewives of New Jersey' stars Chris and Jacqueline Laurita and Joe Gorga were named in a lawsuit filed by a man who claims he was ambushed for maximum drama Watch video
A lawsuit filed by a man who tussled with three "Real Housewives of New Jersey' stars in the show's fifth season finale and who allegedly took a stiletto to the forehead from Jacqueline Laurita has been settled, court records show.
The suit, filed by John Karagiorgis and his wife Penny Drossos, threatened to blow the lid off the extent of producer manipulation in the popular reality series. Filed in 2013, the lawsuit claimed that the show's producers, in an attempt to maximize drama and goose ratings, conspired with stars Joe Gorga and Jacqueline and Chris Laurita to confront Karagiorgis and Drossos about rumors they allegedly had been spreading.
It ended, as these things often do, in a brawl at a boutique in which Jacqueline Laurita's stiletto figured as a weapon, although Bravo elected not to air actual footage of the fight, only the build-up and the aftermath.
Shortly after the March 2013 melee, Karagiorgis filed assault and harassment charges against the three stars, who returned the favor on Karagiorgis, but in September 2013, they all later agreed to drop the criminal charges.
Karagiorgis later filed a civil suit against the reality show stars as well as NBC, Bravo, Sirens Media, which produces the "Housewives" franchise, and "Housewives" producer and Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen.
The lawsuit alleged that Karagiorgis and Drossos suffered serious body harm from the reality show stars, including "bruising, scarring, disfigurement, fractured bones, facial lacerations, mental anguish, psychological health problems, physical discomfort, pain and suffering, economic losses, and shame and embarrassment." The suit also claims that Karagiorgis was restrained by production staffers so he couldn't defend himself, and was not offered medical assistance after the melee.
Eric Weiss, Gorga's attorney, confirmed the settlement but said the details were confidential. The other attorneys involved in the case refused comment or did not return phone calls.
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