"Real Housewives" Kelly Bensimon Sued
April 20 2009, Published 2:08 p.m. ET
Real Housewives Of New York City beauty Kelly Bensimon is taking the hits these days.
The 40-year-old socialite, who was arrested in March on accusations she punched her boyfriend during a spat, will be back in court again thanks to a peer who said the ex-model stole her idea for an owl pendant and used it for her own jewelry line.
"Kelly has been hawking the owl on her Bravo show, on the talk-show circuit, and in a bunch of magazines," a source told the New York Post.
The lawsuit was filed by Celeste Greenberg, who worked with Bensimon at Elle Accessories when the latter was editor-in-chief of the publication. Greenberg, the Post reported, allegedly loaned Bensimon an owl pendant to war for photo shoots. The paper reported that sources said Greenberg and Bensimon formally agreed to work together on a project in which they would design and produce a replica of the owl.
Bensimon, according to the lawsuit, cut Greenberg out of the profits pie by manufacturing the pendant -- which she sells for $325 -- under her own jewelry line.
The model's luck has been poor since her ascent from East Coast socialite extraordinaire to Bravo reality TV star. After the Tawny Kitaen-esque assault charges were levied against her in March, she was dropped by Saks as the face of their catalog. (Photo: WENN)
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