'They don't pay anybody': Ex-accountant sues 'RHONJ' stars Margaret Josephs and Joe Benigno for $20K
ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY: Margaret Josephs and her husband Joe Benigno of 'The Real Housewives of New Jersey' have been sued for $20,000 by their former accountant. On February 24, Stephen B Wetter, a certified public accountant located in New York and New Jersey, filed a case against the 'RHONJ' star and her husband in a New Jersey court.
It's no secret that Margaret, the 'RHONJ' actress, has had her fair share of legal issues. Normally, she's the one who spills the beans on 'RHONJ,' but she's been in the hot seat quite a bit legally. On 'RHONJ,' Margaret can get a little dirty. But, like other of her castmates, her finances are said to be a disaster. Margaret is no stranger to the legal troubles. She was previously sued for allegedly stealing ideas for her Macbeth Collection. She was found guilty and sentenced to pay Vineyard Vines $300,000 in damages for trademark infringement. Now, the 'RHONJ' star and her husband are being sued by their former accountant, US Sun reports.
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Why are Margaret Josephs and Joe Benigno being sued?
Stephen B Wetter, a certified public accountant located in New York and New Jersey, filed a lawsuit against the 'RHONJ' couple on February 24. Stephen says in the document acquired by The US Sun that he was "retained by the defendants to prepare financial statements and related tax returns [from 2008 until 2019, 2020]. About three years ago, they stopped paying me for work performed. Eventually, I stopped working for them. They say they have no money, but I believe this is untrue."
Stephen, who stated that he is representing himself, is seeking $15,000 plus $5,000 in legal expenses, for a total of $20,000.
Stephen provided his account of events. He emphasized that this was only a "business" concern and that it was "not a personal thing" against the Josephs. "I did a lot of work for them, for her company, Macbeth, and other investments...I worked for Jan (Margaret's late husband) and his brother. I have electronic copies of tax returns and stuff that I prepared, so she's lying", Stephen asserted.
As stated in The Rosenberg legal letter included in the clothes designer's exhibit, "Margaret says she doesn't have any money to pay me, but if I look her up on Google, it says she's worth $50 million." Her claimed net worth, according to several websites, is $5 million.
Stephen continued by saying that because he and Joe were "very close friends," it is "very disappointing" for him to have to involve in the court. Even in Season 8, he made a cameo when Marge Sr went out on a date with Stephen.
"I used to go to Christmas parties at the house. We would go out to dinner, we'd have drinks, we got along very well. And then I've never heard from him again," Stephen said. "I've been in business a long time", the NJ-based accountant stated. "I'm very professional. I never had to do this. Margaret's been involved in a lot of lawsuits. You know, she's very litigious. They don't pay anybody." He said, "I have copies of a lot of things that were sent by the state of New Jersey-annual filing fees. We'll go to court. That's no problem. We'll see what happens."
Margaret and Joe deny charges
Margaret and Joe responded to the lawsuit on April 10 and refuted Stephen's claim that he provided "goods or services" for them. In support of their claim, they also cite a legal letter written by The Rosenberg Law Firm. The Bravo actors received a letter in January threatening legal action if they did not make the payment. The letter came from Mr Wetter, according to the Josephs, and it was "received to extort funds."
They said in the evidence that "There is no such [law] firm, no attorney name, letterhead, address, or email."
A formal legal letter from their personal and corporate accountant, who claimed to have taken over their bookkeeping and taxes from 2018 till the present, is also included in their defense. According to a source close to the 'RHONJ' actor, the case is utterly ridiculous. "It's very suspicious that he's coming out of the woodwork now."
When Margaret's representative was contacted for comment, they cited the information in their answer and said, "We're confident this is going to be dismissed soon as statements Stephen made are completely false," US Sun reports.
A court date has not yet been set, and the case is still pending.