Melissa Gorga’s former business partner is suing her, along with Andy Cohen, and NBC Universal itself, for defamation.
Jackie Beard Robinson partnered with Gorga in 2015 to open a clothing store called Envy by Melissa Gorga. The business venture was later used as a plotline on Real Housewives of New Jersey, but Robinson says the way it was portrayed was damaging to her career and personal life.
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In court filings, which were obtained by PEOPLE, Robinson names Cohen, Gorga, NBC Universal and at least one executive at Sirens Media for “defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.” Robinson is suing for $30 million.
Robinson says that she ended her business relationship with Gorga after the reality star allegedly “misappropriated over $37,000.” In the court documents, Robinson says she returned to the store after that to retrieve property and merchandise that belonged to her.
However, in October, when the episode about Envy appeared on RHONJ, Robinson says she was painted as the villain. In the episode, Gorga says that Robinson “snuck in in the middle of the night and took all the clothes,” which Robinson says is categorically false. She says she took the clothing from the store “in broad daylight” because it rightfully belonged to her.
Cohen ended up in the lawsuit as well because of comments made on a subsequent episode of Watch What Happens Live.
“Wow, so, that lady wound up kind of ripping you off?” Cohen said, in reference to the storyline. Gorga said yes.
When reporters from PEOPLE reached out for a comment, a spokesperson for Bravo said “This lawsuit has no merit.”
Robinson’s attorney, Larry Klayman, said, “When you accuse someone of stealing, that’s the worse kind of defamation and it’s very serious. NBC and the other defendants will pay dearly for that, they destroyed [Robinson’s] reputation.”
