Luis Ruelas, the husband of Real Housewives of New Jersey star, Teresa Giudice, is asking for a $5 million payout after accusing an ex of dishing confidential information to cast members.
Luis made the claim in a response to a lawsuit, filed in February, by his ex-fiancée, Vanessa Reiser.
Lawyer, Kevin S. Johnson, claimed that Luis and private investigator Bo Dielt, had started a “harassment and abuse” campaign against Vanessa.
On Thursday, Luis, Bo, and the other defendants denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim against Vanessa, who had requested a permanent restraining order against Luis, according to documents obtained by the U.S. Sun.
Luis cited his belief that Johnson and his law firm firm, Johnson Litigation Group, used “unlawful and egregious misconduct” and had “breached their ethical obligations.” He also claimed that they had slandered him and caused him to suffer “significant harm.”
Luis, 48, alleged that Vanessa, a licensed psychotherapist, had been dishing dirt to RHONJ cast members in order to stir up drama on the show.
The counterclaim states — “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 colloquy of the show and continue the relentless campaign of harassment, despite existing orders precluding this type of conduct.”
The RHONJ cast approached filming season in two groups known as “Team Teresa” and “Team Melissa,” in the wake of a revived feud between the sisters-in-law.
Teresa remains close with Jennifer Aydin and has been rebuilding her friendship with Jackie Goldschneider. Melissa’s best pals are Margaret Josephs and Rachel Fuda. Danielle Cabral reportedly switched teams from Teresa to Melissa, after having a blowout fight with Jennifer. Dolores Catania managed to keep her friendships with both Teresa and Melissa intact.
It remains unknown if the “leaked information” will be included in the Season 14 narrative.
Cast members accused Luis of hiring Bo to dig up incriminating information against them during the Season 13 reunion. Luis denied the accusation, even after the reality stars produced alleged receipts.
Luis stated that “investigators attended therapy sessions with Reiser to gain first-hand knowledge of Reiser’s improprieties and violations of both ethical and legal conduct,” per court docs. He claimed that her lawyer fabricated emails “under fake names/personas” to “damage Ruelas’ chances in the court of law, stir controversy, and create reality TV content.”
Luis cited a “peculiar interest in certain RHONJ cast members” and an alleged “obsession with Ruelas and RHONJ.”
Documents read — “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.”
Luis claimed that he’d been hurt financially and that his reputation had been “damaged beyond repair.” He argued that he “suffered economic injury and mental anguish,” which included losing his job and “multiple business opportunities.”
In October 2023, Vanessa requested a restraining order against the businessman, but was denied.
Luis is asking for punitive damages “in an amount to be determined at trial, but in no event less than [$]5,000,000,” plus attorneys’ fees.
Avigail is an Entertainment blogger at All About The Tea, who specializes in The Real Housewives of Atlanta and The Real Housewives of Potomac. Avigail has a background in marketing. She’s a Brooklynite living in the Bahamas, with a passion for travel, writing, reality TV watching, pop culture and spoken word.