‘Real Housewives of Miami’ star’s ex-husband sued Bravo. There’s an update
Never mind.
Remember back in October when Todd Nepola sued Bravo over his not-so-flattering storyline on “Real Housewives of Miami?”
Well, that lawsuit isn’t happening anymore, TMZ was first to report.
The real estate pro, the ex-husband of OG Alexia Echevarria, dropped the whole thing against the cable network as well as its parent company, NBCUniversal Media, and the producers, Purveyors of Pop.
It’s unclear why Nepola ultimately decided not to follow through on legal action because he seemed very unhappy a few months ago. In August, he unleashed a lengthy Instagram video griping about how unfairly he’d been portrayed on the reality show.
The lawsuit alleged defamation and unauthorized use of the 53-year-old’s name and likeness in connection with the last two seasons. He was seeking roughly $11 million in damages.
According to press materials sent to the Miami Herald, the filing claimed the long-running franchise “crossed the line between entertainment and defamation, using manipulated storylines and unauthorized footage” to paint Nepola in a negative way.
Court documents allege Bravo and co. “fabricated and amplified false storylines suggesting he was facing financial hardship, despite his multimillion-dollar real estate portfolio and long-standing business reputation.”
The native New Yorker also said in his tirade he was upset by his image as a stepfather to Echevarria’s son Frankie, who suffered brain damage from a car accident in 2011. He claims he loves and supports him both emotionally and financially.
“You’ve allowed gang-style pile-ons, physical violence, gaslighting, microaggressions, and racially charged comments to go unchecked,” Nepola wrote to the defendants in his caption alongside the August video. “You’ve enabled cruelty, encouraged hate, and turned mean-spiritedness into entertainment.”
The businessman claimed the payout from the suit would go to anti-bullying causes.
TMZ reports that the case was dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning he can’t ever re-file.
As for his storyline these days? Though Nepola’s technically no longer part of the show, insiders say he’s still holding a torch for Echevarria, and they are unofficially back together. Their divorce was finalized last March.
