As The Real Housewives of New Jersey wraps up its fifth season, legal trouble is just beginning for much of the Bravo cast including Joe Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita, her husband Chris Laurita, Bravo and even Moxie Salon, the business where the brawl took place. There are a total of seven named defendants in the suit. 

While criminal charges resulting from the infamous brawl at Moxie Salon were dismissed in September, In Touch has just learned that a civil lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Johnny “The Greek” Karagiorgis and his wife Penny Karagiorgis. In the suit Johnny claims he was physically attacked by Joe, Jacqueline and Chris. It reads: “John Karagiorgis was unlawfully attacked without warning by Giuseppe (Joe) Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita, and Christopher Laurita. Giuseppe Gorga unlawfully attacked John Karagiorgis by punching him in the face and/or head with a closed fist. Christopher Laurita unlawfully attacked John Karagiorgis by punching him in face and/or head with a closed fist.  Jacqueline Laurita then unlawfully attacked John Karagiorgis by striking him on the head and/or face with a stiletto-type shoe.”

The violent physical altercation took place at Moxie Salon, where Kim DePaola’s designer dress shop, Posche 2, was holding an event back in March and was featured during a climactic showdown in the recent season finale of RHONJ

In the lawsuit, filed in Hackensack, N.J., on Oct. 2, Karagiorgis claims that Bravo producers conspired with the Housewives and their husbands to confront him in order to increase the show’s ratings.

The confrontation ultimately led to punches being thrown and, according to the lawsuit, Karagiorgis suffered serious bodily injury at the hands of Melissa‘s husband, Joe Gorga, as well as Jacqueline Laurita and her husband, Chris.

Court papers obtained exclusively by In Touch name a slew of defendants — many of them not named — in this case. Noticeably missing from the lawsuit is Joe and Teresa Giudice (who have enough legal headaches of their own to deal with).

The couple is looking for punitive damages plus the cost of attorneys’ fees. The complaint states that Johnny and Penny “have suffered but are not limited to bruising, scarring, disfigurement, fractured bones, facial lacerations, mental anguish, psychological health problems, physical discomfort, pain and suffering, economic losses, and shame and embarrassment.”

 

by Chris Cristi/@ChrisCristi and Jessica Finn/@JessicaFinnNYC

Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.