The Real Housewives of New Jersey alum Jacqueline Laurita and her husband, Christopher Laurita, were ordered to pay a massive $760,000 judgment after blowing off a lawsuit, Us Weekly can exclusively report.
On July 3, a New Jersey judge entered a default judgment against Jacqueline, 55, and Christopher, 55, after they failed to respond to a lawsuit brought by their former lawyers at the firm Seidman & Pincus LLC.
Per the order, the former Bravo stars are on the hook for $342,000 owed to the firm plus interest in the amount of $419,000 for a total of $761,000.
The law firm filed the complaint against Jacqueline and Christopher in August 2023. In the suit, two lawyers from the firm, Mitchell Seidman and Andrew Pincus, explained they represented Jacqueline and her husband in 2014.
The duo was involved in lawsuits as part of a bankruptcy for Christopher’s clothing company Signature Apparel Group. The law firm said the couple agreed to pay interest on any unpaid balances.
The firm said it provided the former RHONJ star with “extensive legal services,” including consultations, strategic planning and meetings, monitoring cases, appearing in court on behalf of the defendants, assisted during a 13-day trial and handled post-trial issues.
In the suit, the firm said it issued regular invoices to the couple and they never disputed any amounts on the bill.
“Over time, Defendants fell behind in the payment of fees and expenses owing to [the law firm] pursuant to the Engagement Agreement, such that [the law firm] was compelled to request [permission] from the Bankruptcy Court to withdraw from its representation of Defendants in the Actions,” the suit explained.
The firm said the court approved its withdrawal as Jaqueline and Christopher’s representation in April 2018.
At the time of the filing, the firm said it was owed $345,471.44, plus interest.
Jacqueline and her husband did not respond to the lawsuit despite being served. As a result, the court granted the default judgment.
A source close to the couple tells Us that this is from a “very old debt where Chris feels like he was over billed, but he is in the process of negotiating a settlement.”
The insider added, “They are confident this will be resolved quickly.”
Jacqueline was an original cast member on The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She starred on seasons 1 through 5. She was demoted to a “friend” for season 6 and then promoted back to full-time cast member for season 7, which ran in 2016.
After her show exit, Jacqueline and Christopher moved to Nevada. A short time later, they decided to move to California, where they currently reside.
In August 2024, Jacqueline posted a series of photos of her hanging out with friends in Orange County, California. The RHONJ alum was seen hanging out with Real Housewives of Orange County stars Gretchen Rossi, Kelly Dodd and others.
She captioned the post, “I’ve met some really sweet people here in Orange County so far! I haven’t taken pictures with everyone I’ve hung out with because sometimes I’m just too busy enjoying the moment that I forget to take pictures, but here’s a few moments I have that I thought I’d share.”
Official records show the couple lives in a 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom, 5,787 square-foot home in Orange County.
In April, Jacqueline and former RHOC star Lynne Curtin documented themselves going through cosmetic surgery together.
