‘RHOP’ ‘s Michael Darby Sues Candiace-Dillard Bassett for $2 Million Over ‘Insulting’ Oral Sex Allegations
Darby is suing the TV star over comments she made in a November episode of the Bravo show
Michael Darby is suing Candiace-Dillard Bassett over allegations she made about his sex life during a November episode of The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Darby filed the defamation lawsuit over a comment Dillard-Bassett, 36, made during a season 7 episode, when she told the 63-year-old’s estranged wife Ashley Darby, 34, that Michael “likes to leave you and go to a man named [censored’s] house and suck his d—.”Real Housewives of Potomac Season 7 Trailer Teases Cheating Allegations, Divorce Drama and a Martini Toss
Dillard-Bassett then stated in the episode that she “was not supposed to talk about this person, but he says Michael Darby is a client of his. That’s what you’re asking, cuz I was holding on to that,” per the suit which was initially reported by TMZ.
“In making this statement, [Dillard-Bassett] initially hesitated and looked off-camera, indicated that what she about to say was salacious and imprudent, but nonetheless proceeded to intentionally utter the defamatory statement,” Darby’s lawyer asserted in the document.
The documents claim Dillard-Bassett’s statements “falsely accuse Mr. Darby of committing a crime” under the laws of Virginia (where the Darbys live) and are therefore “actionable as insulting words because they are deemed to incite violence and/or breach the peace.”
Darby’s legal team allege Dillard-Basett’s statements have prompted “public scorn, hatred, humiliation, ridicule, contempt and/or embarrassment,” so the entrepreneur is seeking $2 million: $1 million in compensatory damages and another $1 million in punitive damages, as well as interest, attorney’s fees and associated costs.Candiace Dillard Appears to Hint at Possible RHOP Exit: ‘When One Door Closes, Another Will Open’
In the documents, Darby’s attorney also states that Dillard-Bassett “demonstrated knowledge that her statements were salacious, imprudent, and/or would be harmful to Mr. Darby’s reputation,” and were “intentional and borne out of evident hatred and disdain [Dillard-Bassett] has for Mr. Darby.”
Darby’s attorney also added that Darby contacted his costar on Jan. 17 “demanding [Dillard-Bassett] immediately cease and desist from publishing or making any further defamatory statements regarding Mr. Darby.”
The filing continues, “To date, Defendant has not retracted or otherwise accounted for her defamatory statements.”
