Looks like Teresa and Joe Giudice aren't the only 'Real Housewives' stars passing money around under the table.
The very same day that the RHONJ star and her husband pleaded not guilty to 39-counts of fraud charges, 'Beverly Hills' counterpart Lisa Vanderpump was named in a lawsuit filed by two bar owners, also for fraud.
The 52-year-old mother of two and her husband of 30 years, Ken Todd, were included in a lawsuit filed by Ryan Allen Carrillo and business partner Andrew Gruver, both of whom claimed that the husband and wife stole a West Hollywood property right from underneath them through improper channels.
According to the lawsuit file from Los Angeles Superior Court, Carrillo and Gruver had plans to open a gay sports bar called Bar Varsity with Elie Samaha, the defendant, as one of the partners. Samaha paid $500,000 as first payment for the investment, as she possessed a lease for the space. The group had plans to split gross profits evenly.
They then moved forward with the opening of the bar, filing permits with the city, and even organizing meetings with contractors who were commissioned to work on the venue. But soon after, Samaha didn't pay up-she refused to go through with the investment they had previously arranged, Yahoo reported.
To add insult to injury, Carrillo and Gruver passed by the site soon after, only to find out that the RHOBH star and her husband had bought out the venue.
They said that Vanderpump and Todd knew about the plans to build Bar Varsity and "intended to disrupt the performance of the agreement", but Vanderpump vehemently denies this statement.
"We had no prior knowledge of Ryan Carrillo and Andrew Gruver or their claim," the two reality stars explained to Yahoo in a statement. "We took the lease in good faith seven months ago and all of our applications and notices have been posted publicly. Any issue will be between them and the property owner."
Carrillo and Gruver claimed they have lost $4 million during this whole ordeal. Vanderpump and Todd are being sued for deceit, breach of contract and constructive fraud, along with a few other claims.
