The latest headlines read "Teresa Giudice Sued for Real Housewives Bar Fight" - and is anybody really surprised? The cast of the ever-popular Real Housewives of New Jersey have made the news for assaults and fights before, but this one seems a bit more serious.
Giudice and other cast members including Giudice's husband Joe, Albert Manzo and Christopher Manzo, attacked Adolfo Arreola and his cousin Jason A. Gomez earlier this year at a Dominican resort, according to the new lawsuit.
Arreola is a police officer with the University of Illinois-Chicago's police department. He suffered a broken arm, blurred vision, cuts and bruises. His cousin suffered a broken leg and a torn MCL, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Tthe attack was not their fault, according to Arreola and Gomez. The attack started at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
Giudice sprayed champagne onto Arreola's mother-in-law. She and other cast members then laughed as she wiped the champagne out of her eyes, reports the Chicago Tribune. Arreola then confronted the cast, telling them to stop, and identified himself as a police officer - then the cast members started in on him, according to the lawsuit.
The two cousins were also required to sign a release form promising that they would not sue or talk about the matter publicly, according to the lawsuit. They received $25,000 a piece. Now, their attorney says that this agreement is not valid because it was signed under duress, reports the Chicago Tribune.
Contracts can be void if they are signed under duress - but duress can sometimes be difficult to prove. Persuading someone to sign a contract is not duress in most cases. Duress usually must involve some sort of coercion, such as a threat of violence or imprisonment.
And sadly, this is only one of the legal problems facing Teresa Giudice. Sued for the Real Housewives bar fight may not even be that important on her radar - she already filed for bankruptcy last year, citing $11 million in debt.
Related Resources:
- Chicago Men Claim They're Victims Of "Real Housewives" Attack (Huffington Post)
- Limits to a Contract (FindLaw)
- Bankruptcy Fallout: The Teresa Giudice Auction (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- 'Real Housewives' Hubby Joe Giudice Sentenced To Jail (FindLaw's Atlanta DUI Law Blog)