Fired! Gretchen Rossi’s Attorney Blasts Her As Rogue Client
May 22 2017, Updated 4:16 p.m. ET
RadarOnline.com can exclusively reveal that former Real Housewives of Orange County star Gretchen Rossi was such a difficult client to represent that her own lawyer demanded the court allow him to drop her, claiming their relationship was broken and he could no longer work with her.
As RadarOnline.com reported, Rossi has been battling it out in a case against former acquaintance Jay Photoglou for years.
The fallen reality star accused him of being a friend turned stalker who caused havoc in her life by leaking nude photos, threatening her with violence and spreading lies to the press, all which, she claims, cost her a spot on Real Housewives and $500,000 a year in lucrative gigs.
A jury awarded Rossi $523,000 in a suit she brought against Photoglou, but he filed for bankruptcy in an attempt to have the judgment discharged, and the two now are battling it out again in court, with Rossi refusing to let him off the hook.
But this bitter legal fight isn’t the only one Rossi is wrapped up in right now. RadarOnline.com has learned that on May 15, Rossi’s lawyer Anerio Altman filed a motion to be relieved as the reality star’s attorney for the ongoing case.
Altman claimed that he gave Rossi legal advice on how to proceed with her case against Photoglou, but she chose not to follow his instructions.
Further, Altman accuses Rossi of not pre-paying for any fees or services related to elements of the case. As such, he argued he should be allowed to drop her as a client.
The frustrated attorney claimed that as a result of 38-year-old Rossi’s actions, he was unable to proceed with representing her due to their “irreconcilable differences”.
The lawyer even noted that their relationship was so broken he no longer felt able to fulfill his duties, and he blamed her for making it unreasonably difficult for him to do his job.
Weighing in on the behind-the-scenes drama, Photoglou responded to Rossi’s lawyer’s motion by stating he did not oppose Altman dropping his client.
“Frankly, Mr. Photoglou does not want to pursue the case in Orange County,” wrote attorneys for Rossi’s ex in a court filing.
The "relationship between Rossi and Mr. Photoglou ended almost a decade ago — in February 2009," they said.
“Rossi and Photoglou have been involved in litigation ever since. This is a tragedy. Mr. Photoglou just wants all of the litigation to end,” his lawyers continued. “He wants to put the past behind him, and get on with his life. But if it is necessary to try this case – for a third time – in Orange County, everyone will need time to prepare.”
Adding more confusion to the already dramatic case, not long after Rossi’s attorney filed his request to move on, he then filed a voluntarily dismissal of his motion to drop the reality star, indicating the two had somehow worked out their differences — at least for now.
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