Todd Nepola, the ex-husband of “The Real Housewives of Miami” star Alexia Nepola, sued Bravo for $11 million on Tuesday for defamation, citing “manufactured drama” of his “financial distress.”
In the lawsuit, filed in the southern district court of Florida against defendants Bravo Media, NBCUniversal Media and Purveyors of Pop Productions, Nepola claimed the companies used his likeness and image without permission in Season 6 and Season 7 to produce storylines that were “exaggerated, staged or even outright fake.”
“Ultimately, the franchise operates with the premise that the drama needs to be there, and if it is not there organically, it needs to be manufactured or invented,” the complaint reads.
Representatives for Bravo and NBCUniversal did not respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“RHOM” is in the midst of airing its three-part reunion, with Part 2 airing Thursday and Part 3 scheduled for Oct. 16. Alexia shared during Part 1 that she plans on dropping “Nepola” as her last name. She finalized her divorce from Todd Nepola in March.
“The viewing public is led to believe that the events, character portrayals and interpersonal dynamics are reflective of the cast members’ real lives,” the lawsuit reads. “This perception is deliberately cultivated by the producers and networks (including Defendants Bravo, NBCU and PPP), who carefully edit and construct storylines to create maximum dramatic impact while maintaining an illusion of authenticity.”
The complaint maintained that “Mr. Nepola wanted to be Alexia’s husband, not her storyline. For too long and out of respect for his ex-wife, Mr. Nepola remained silent while Defendants painted a fictional version of him. As the saying goes, enough is enough.”
Nepola claims the show made it appear as if he was having financial struggles, specifically noting that in one of the episodes, it was mentioned by a person on the show that Nepola’s real estate business was “struggling so badly that” the couple “had to break their lease” and only had five days to move out of their apartment.
“‘RHOM’ has continued to intentionally and maliciously air defamatory statements about Nepola, misuse his name, likeness and damage his reputation in the Miami business community,” the legal document reads. “Defendants knew or should have known that the false statement would cause severe damage to Mr. Nepola’s reputation, business opportunities, community relationships, career and business.
The lawsuit also breaks down the nature of “reality TV” and how the genre’s name alone is a “misnomer,” adding that it’s “100% manipulated.”
“As one editor of a reality show explained last year, ‘Editors have been instructed for years to feed you counterfeit drama to keep you watching so the networks could get more money from advertisers — so network executives could show more profits and give themselves higher salaries,’” the lawsuit reads.
Nepola is now seeking a total $11 million in compensatory relief for damages incurred to his business affairs and for Bravo’s alleged violation of using his likeness without his express written or oral consent in recent seasons of “The Real Housewives of Miami.” He also seeks a permanent injunction enjoining the companies from “engaging further in the unauthorized use of Nepola’s name or likeness.” He requests a trial by jury.
