Who is Ginny Cox? ‘Southern Charm’ star Naomie Olindo sued for FRAUD by former business partner
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA: Naomie Olindo’s former business partner, Ginny Cox, is suing the 'Southern Charm' star for fraud and breach of contract after she was allegedly fired from their fashion clothing company, L’Abeye.
Virginia "Ginny" Cox alleges that Olindo, 30, used dishonest methods to maintain control of the company, steal money, and even prevented her from finding work after they parted ways. According to the lawsuit obtained by TMZ, Olindo allegedly approached Cox in 2018 requesting assistance in opening an online apparel store because of Cox's background in retail fashion. Cox claims that Olindo agreed to let her take care of the business and its marketing aspects in exchange for a 50% ownership stake.
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Cox claims Olindo told her she was a co-owner and was listed as a co-founder on the company's social media, but Olindo actually controlled the money and withdrew more than her fair share of the profits while paying Cox less than her 50% share. Cox says she poured her heart and soul into starting the brand with Olindo, putting in countless hours to make the e-commerce venture profitable.
Their clothing brand is called L’Abeye (pronounced la-bay) which was launched in June 2018. It specializes in women's fashion. It is an affordable online boutique with a blend of chic and on-trend looks. Their app has a rating of 4.9 on app store.
Cox and Olindo worked together to develop a logo and a website and helped advertise the business when the garment line started. They also toured throughout Los Angeles to meet with vendors. Olindo asked for a $50,000 loan from her father for startup funding prior to the company's launch in June 2018, but Cox believes the Bravolebrity used this as justification to withhold income from her going forward.
Cox's court filing read, "At times, Olindo would mention to Plaintiff that their account funds were low and Plaintiff would question Olindo about the low funds because of the amount of revenue and profit that L’Abeye appeared to be making," alleging she was unaware of their profit margins. "Subsequently, Olindo excluded Plaintiff from any information about the finances." Cox claimed in her court paperwork that Olindo "misled" her about the company’s finances and "failed to treat the company as a separate and distinct entity."
Cox claims Olindo just ousted her from the firm and took the stance that Cox was never a 50-50 owner of the business. She wants to be recognized as an equal co-owner in L'Abeye and is suing her for damages.
Olindo's lawyers, Benjamin Joyce and Ellis Lesemann, told TMZ, "Our client does not comment publicly on pending litigation. However, obviously these allegations made by a disgruntled former employee are false and misleading. We will soon be filing a formal response to these allegations that will help set the record straight."