Former Real Housewives Star Gretchen Rossi Wins Defamation Lawsuit

Lies, threats, and leaked nude photos are certainly within the purview of drama that viewers of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County expect. For Gretchen Rossi, former Real Housewives star, the drama has finally come to an end. After years of legal battles, a California judge ruled in favor of Rossi in her suit against Jay Photoglou. Rossi sued Photoglou for defamation in 2010, asserting that Photoglou lied about her cheating on her dying fiancé, Jeff Beitzel, threatened her, stole her property, and leaked her nude photos. Rossi previously filed a restraining order against Photoglou, claiming that Photoglou vandalized Rossi’s home and car and threatened to kill Rossi, burn down Rossi’s Costa Mesa home, and make her boyfriend disappear. In 2012, a jury sided with Rossi, awarding her $500,000 in compensatory damages and $23,000 in punitive damages.

Photoglou complicated matters by filing for bankruptcy and seeking to have the judgment discharged as part of his bankruptcy case. The judge determined that the judgment is not dischargeable, and the state of California ordered Photoglou to pay Rossi over half a million dollars because of the seriousness of the charges.

In Rossi’s own words, Photoglou “was someone I trusted and believed had my best interest at heart, until he started blackmailing me and became volatile.” Often times, those closest to us have the greatest power to harm us. If someone you have trusted has defamed you or shared nonconsensual private images of you, contact the Invasion of Privacy Lawyers of Hutcherson Law today.