Former Real Housewives of Orange County star Tamra Judge can finally breathe a sigh of relief as it is being reported that she has settled the $1 million lawsuit that she has been fighting against since 2018 with former RHOC alum Alexis Bellino’s ex-husband Jim Bellino.
In new court documents obtained by Radar, Jim has informed the court that’s he’s dropping all claims against Tamra. Though the terms of the settlement are set to remain confidential, his decision to drop the matter means that both of the parties involved will no longer have to go through an expensive trial.
All the drama surrounding the lawsuit began back in 2018 after Tamra and her former best friend and current RHOC cast member, Shannon Beador, appeared on comedian Heather McDonald’s celebrity gossip podcast, Juicy Scoop.
While appearing on the show, Tamra, Shannon, and Heather spoke out against the lawsuits that James is facing at this trampoline business.
Tamra spoke out, saying, “I have a theory. Everything, everything’s in [Alexis’s] name. He’s going to go to jail. Yeah, he’s a shady mother****er.”
After Heather questioned if there was any legitimacy to his business or if he still controls ownership over it, Shannon stepped up to comment.
“No. No. I heard they don’t… I heard they don’t because they were sued. I won’t let my kids go because people get paralyzed… apparently that happens,” Shannon said.
After hearing the disparaging comments made about him on the podcast, James filed a suit against all three women, including podcast host Heather herself. He demanded $1 million in damages for tarnishing his reputation and business brand.
Shannon and Tamra vehemently denied the allegations, and they eventually turned on then-co-star Kelly Dodd, who was egging on the lawsuit by tweeting her alleged support for James.
“You tell lies, you get sued!” she told the duo during one episode of RHOC. In an ironic turn of events, Kelly herself was fired for her own controversial comments and has since been attacking the show’s latest season relentlessly.
Luckily for Shannon, in 2019 her involvement in the lawsuit end two years before Tamra’s. A judge dismissed all the claims against Shannon that said her statements were defamatory. She also was awarded $137,340.25 in attorney fees.
“I am grateful and relieved because this has taken an emotional and financial toll on my family,” she told Page Six at the time.
As for Heather McDonald, the podcaster was able to get her case dismissed as well, but at the expense of her friendship with Tamra and Shannon.
Speaking to Page Six, she said, “It’s been a horrible two years going through it all and it’s definitely affected my business. When people bring on lawsuits like this just to have a chilling effect, so that people crumble and die and roll over.”
Thankfully, Tamra is no longer embroiled in this vitriol and can move on with her life. She has since joined former RHOBH star Teddi Mellencamp for their hit podcast Two T’s in a Pod. She will also be starring on the second season of RHUGT airing on Peacock in 2022.