Naomie Olindo hit back at her former colleague Virginia “Ginny” Cox’s “defamatory” fraud lawsuit with her own scathing counterclaims in a filing obtained by Page Six exclusively on Thursday.
“After being terminated for employee theft and other misconduct, Cox filed this defamatory lawsuit with the intention of extorting money through a set of claims that are knowingly false,” the “Southern Charm” star, 30, alleges in the court documents.
Olindo slams nearly every allegation Cox made in her initial complaint — including that she was co-owner of the fashion brand L’Abeye — and claims the fired employee was actually let go for stealing on multiple occasions.
Naomie Olindo slammed her former colleague Virginia “Ginny” Cox, claiming she is trying to extort her with a lawsuit.Eugene Gologursky/Bravo via Gett
The Bravolebrity says in the documents that one of the most damning instances of theft was when Cox allegedly hacked into her computer to access her American Express account — which was linked to both personal and business finances — and used points on the credit card to vacation with her boyfriend in Florida.
Cox is seen here in a photo posted on Instagram on the purported trip.gincox/Instagram
Olindo also claims the former retail worker stole clothing from the apparel company and sold them at local consignment shops for her own personal profit.
As a result of the alleged findings, the reality star says she had to install a security camera at her office space on May 18, 2022, which Cox allegedly “disabled” within a few minutes.
Olindo included in her filing an affidavit from Madison Acee, the marketing director at L’Abeye, who backed up her boss’ claims that Cox was a thief.
“I witnessed her on multiple occasions purchase items and incur charges on the company card and referencing ‘not caring’ what Naomie thinks while doing so,” Acee alleges. “She would push the company card on me and tell me to use it to fill up gas in my car.”
Olindo claims Cox st
Cox’s attorneys tell Page Six, “We deny that Ms. Cox stole any money from Olindo or their company.”
Aside from the stealing allegations, Olindo claims Cox’s work ethic struggled since the business began in 2018 but dropped significantly in the months leading up to her ousting.
The TV star alleges, per the documents, that her former colleague would “sometimes not show up to work until noon or early afternoon” — usually “as a result of going out and drinking the night before” — in the first “critical” months of the company.
Olindo claims Cox’s “heavy” drinking on Sundays became a “common occurrence,” which allegedly affected her productivity.
Olindo and Cox both claim they worked harder than the other.gincox/Instagram
“As Cox’s employment with the Company progressed and starting in November 2021, Cox became increasingly unproductive, underperformed, and repeatedly brought a negative and toxic attitude that adversely affected the work culture and fellow employees,” the reality star adds.
However, the argument over whether who worked harder has become a she-said, she-said because Cox claimed in her original complaint that Olindo was the one who was unproductive.
The former buyer alleged the Bravolebrity “took frequent vacations and failed to assist with the operations of L’Abeye for weeks at a time.”
As a result of the claims made against Cox, ho
Cox worked at L’Abeye from February 2018 to May 2022.gincox/Instagram
She paints a picture of a disgruntled former employee who did not take the firing well and allegedly began “visibly spiraling out of control” and sending harassing messages to Olindo and another employee.
Olindo also claims Cox once threatened to “go the press and celebrity gossip sites” if she did not “pay up” or if she “did anything to upset” her.
Cox’s attorneys did not immediately return Page Six’s request for comment on the rest of Olindo’s allegations.
The initial complaint was filed mainly in part because Cox claimed she was a co-owner of L’Abeye and that she had been let go without receiving proper funds.
Olindo argues in her official response, however, that Cox was “never” an owner because she never “invested money in the company,” was “unwilling” to take any “financial risks,” did not claim herself as an owner on tax returns and in 2021 claimed she wanted to “remain an employee” when asked whether she would invest in the company.
The “Southern Charm” star also claims Cox was “fully aware” that Olindo had set up L’Abeye with Olindo as the sole owner.
Olindo claims only she invested money into L’Abeye and Cox never took any “financial risks.”naomie_olindo/Instagram
Olindo provides as evidence the fact that she came up with the company name, contributed $25,000 of her own personal funds as startup capital along with an additional $60,000 from her father. She also says she paid for trips that the two women took to go see vendors throughout Los Angeles.
However, the entrepreneur admits that on occasion she would call Cox a “partner” in press-related matters or in public in order to not make her feel “embarrassed or belittled” but says this was solely a courtesy as Cox was a “founding employee” at the company.
“After being fired for theft, Cox is now trying [to] exploit these instances for ill-gotten gain, apparently unfazed by her own dishonesty and disloyalty that have caused her predicament,” the counterclaims filing states. “Cox was always an employee. She is not and was not an owner.”
Olindo is seeking a trial by jury and “actual,” “consequential” and “punitive” damages as a result of the allegations Cox made against her. She is suing for six counterclaims, including defamation and invasion of privacy.
Source : pagesix.com
