Southern Charm's Naomie Olindo is in hot water with her former business partner.
Four years after the launch of their clothing brand L'Abeye, Olindo is being sued by Virginia "Ginny" Cox for breach of contract, fraud, defamation and more, according to legal documents obtained by E! News.
Filed in Charleston, South Carolina, Cox's lawsuit includes a total of 14 causes of action against the Bravo star and lists that she is seeking "damages in the total amount of the value of her 50 percent interest in L'Abeye, as well as consequential damages caused by Defendant's breach of agreement."
Olindo and Cox joined forces to launch the clothing brand L'Abeye in early 2018, splitting ownership of the business. The documents state that while Cox handled more of the brand's creative side because of her retail experience, Olindo took charge of financials and marketing, which involved securing a $50,000 loan from her father to help get them started.
According to the lawsuit, Olindo hired an attorney to help set her up as the company's "sole member and owner" without Cox's knowledge.
In addition to claiming Olindo would withhold legal and financial information from her, Cox's lawsuit states that she put more effort into the business than the defendant, especially after Olindo was upgraded to a full-time cast member on Southern Charm in 2019.
Because of Olindo's financial and legal control, the lawsuit alleges that the reality star would withdraw money for "personal expenses unrelated to business," all while paying Cox less than what she was entitled to as a co-owner of the company.
The documents note that Cox was "terminated" from L'Abeye by Olindo on May 19, 2022, after which Olindo allegedly "contacted prospective employers and urged them not to hire Plaintiff."
In a statement to E! News, Olindo's attorneys Ben Joyce and Ellis Lesemann said, "Our client does not comment publicly on pending litigation. However, obviously these allegations made by a disgruntled former employee are false and misleading."
The statement continues, "We will soon be filing a formal response to these allegations that will help set the record straight."
E! News has reached out to Cox's reps for comment but have not heard back.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)