‘Shahs of Sunset’ Alum Lilly Ghalichi Vows to “Make Things Right” After Suing Business Partner (EXCLUSIVE)
Not going down without a fight. Lilly Ghalichi opened up exclusively to In Touch about her decision to sue her former business partner Payam Pedram, with whom she shares 50/50 ownership of the online retail destination WantMyLook.com (WML). According to the Shahs of Sunset alum, 34, Payam quietly swindled her out of more than $700,000 during their time working together.
“I will fight on behalf of everyone who has had problems with WantMyLook,” Lilly tells In Touch. “My lawyers and I have sued Payam Pedram for fraud, and once I regain control of the company, I will make things right.”
In Lilly’s lawsuit, originally obtained by The Blast, the reality star-turned-style guru accuses Payam of devising a plan to use the money made from Lilly Lashes (a company owned 100% by Lilly) for WML costs. First, Payam convinced Lilly to move her beauty business into the same office space as WML. While the two companies were operating under the same roof, Lilly alleges that Payam used her personal credit card for WML’s bills — and racked up $365,795.87 in charges.
Lilly at WML’s Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show.
Lilly says that Payam originally agreed to pay her back in weekly installments, but alleges that he stopped when she discovered additional fraud. According to The Blast, Lilly claims that Payam “forged her signature on $17,000 in checks, transferred $25,376.73 from her bank account, and took out loans in her name totaling $419,772.77.”
Lilly also claims Payam did not properly file tax returns for WML, and that the Better Business Bureau issued a formal warning that the company doesn’t respond to customer complaints, nor does it ship orders. Altogether, Lilly is suing WML, Payam, and Payam’s brother — who she claims works at the bank where Payam allegedly transferred tens of thousands of dollars without her permission.
“Pedram entered the partnership with the intent to use the proceeds from Lilly’s hard work to finance his elaborate lifestyle,” Neama Rahmani of West Coast Trial Lawyers, who represents Lilly, tells In Touch. “He turned WML into an online scam, looted the business and Ghalichi’s personal bank accounts, alienated her fans and customers, mistreated employees, and seriously tainted the image Ghalichi established through years of rigorous attention to her style and brand.”
The attorney adds, “Pedram not only stole from and lied to Lilly, he betrayed her trust, destroyed her vision, and left her with a legal and financial ordeal that might take years to remedy. We are asking the court to help her recoup some of her losses from Pedram and force him to relinquish control so Lilly can begin to repair the damage.”
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