Former Husband of BH Housewife Gets OK to Pursue Lawsuit Against Chef

By City News Service

The former husband of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" cast member Adrienne Maloof was cleared to move forward with his lawsuit alleging that an employee of his ex-wife defamed him on Facebook with spousal abuse allegations.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Yvette Palazuelos issued her final ruling Monday, 11 days after taking under submission chef Bernie Guzman's motion to force Dr. Paul Nassif to arbitrate their dispute.

Palazuelos issued a tentative decision on June 6 denying the arbitration motion, finding that Nassif never signed an employment agreement with Guzman.

But Guzman attorney Philip Marchiondo persuaded the judge to take a second look, arguing that Nassif's signature was less important than his conduct. He contended the physician forced Guzman to sign and agree to the employment terms, which Marchiondo says included an arbitration provision.

Monday's ruling affirmed Palazuelos' tentative ruling.

Nassif sued Bernie Guzman on Feb. 4 after the chef posted photos of a bruised Maloof on his Facebook page in October. Guzman alleged the bruises demonstrated physical abuse of Maloof by Nassif, who also appeared on the Bravo reality television series alongside his wife. Neither is scheduled to return to the show next season.

Nassif denied the abuse allegations. In addition to defamation, the suit alleges civil extortion/blackmail and intentional infliction of emotional distress. He dropped a breach-of-contract claim.

Nassif wants unspecified punitive damages and an injunction to prevent Guzman from making any more statements about him.

Guzman said Nassif gave him with an employment agreement in February 2012 that included "a variety of policies" as well as an agreement to arbitrate disputes between himself and his employers.

"(Nassif) insisted that I sign the employment agreement," Guzman stated in a sworn declaration. "He informed me that if I refused to sign the employment agreement, I would be terminated."

Guzman says he was not given a copy of the agreement.

The chef also said that Nassif filed for divorce last July, but continued living at the home he shared with Maloof and their sons on a part-time basis for several months.

Nassif's court papers state that Guzman sent him a text message in January and threatened to damage the doctor's reputation by writing, "Have you forgotten I witnessed you beat your wife? I have plenty of family photos ... some not so pretty."

Guzman states he was hired by Maloof and Nassif in August 2005 and was an employee of both. He says he was put in charge of events ranging from entertaining guests to family functions. He says he also helped manage the household.

The chef still works for Maloof.