Summary
- Sofia Vergara refuses to pay $1.7 million bill, claims lawsuit is a tactic for coerced settlement.
- Lawsuit alleges renovations to $26 million mansion were incomplete, sparking legal dispute.
- Vergara's attorney counters claims, stating lawsuit is an extortion attempt, vows not to back down.
Sofia Vergara is making it clear she’s going to fight accusations levied against her by a contractor she hired who claims they’ve gone unpaid – and wants a million-dollar settlement to resolve the case.
Court documents obtained by RadarOnline.com reveal that the Modern Family alum has petitioned for the dismissal of what she deems a "frivolous" lawsuit from the Los Angeles Superior Court.
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Earlier this year, a company named Reside Custom Homes (RCH) initiated legal action against Vergara, seeking $1.7 million in damages. According to RCH, Vergara enlisted their services in April 2022 to undertake renovations on her $26 million Beverly Hills mansion. Allegedly, Vergara agreed to cover the renovation costs along with a contractor's fee.
Sofia Refused To Pay The $1.7 Million Bill, The Contractor Claims
RCH claimed to have worked on the mansion until March 2023, installing clay plaster and replacing a flight of stairs. However, they assert that Vergara failed to settle the outstanding $1.7 million bill.
In response, Vergara has refuted the allegations, suggesting that the lawsuit is a tactic aimed at coercing her into a settlement. Her legal counsel argues that the contractor's lawsuit aimed to disseminate a misleading narrative. Vergara's team says that she had previously notified RCH of her dissatisfaction with their work and billing practices through a demand letter, informing them of her intent to pursue mediation and arbitration.
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Despite Vergara's attempts at resolving the dispute outside of court, RCH proceeded with the public lawsuit. Now, in her latest legal move, Vergara is seeking to transfer the entire lawsuit out of the Los Angeles Superior Court and into arbitration.
In a statement, her attorney said, “Not only are [RCH’s] claims subject to arbitration, they are nothing more than frivolous counterclaims that were concocted after Defendants’ counsel sent an October 2023 demand letter regarding [RCH’s] failures to perform its obligations as General Contractor.”
Sofia Claims The Lawsuit Is An Attempt To Extort Her For Money
The attorney further claimed the lawsuit is simply an attempt to “embarrass” the actress in hopes they can “extort a settlement on monies that are simply not owed.”
“RCH] filed this action in direct contravention of the obligation to arbitrate in order to publicize a false narrative and seek to embarrass well-known actress, Defendant Sofia Vergara, given her public persona,” the statement went on.
However, Vergara’s attorney made it clear the Griselda actress won’t be backing down, as she believes there’s no wrongdoing on her part, saying, “But [RCH] miscalculated because Vergara won’t be bullied.”
A decision hasn’t been made on whether the case will be directed to arbitration, as Vergara has requested.
This isn’t Sofia’s only legal battle recently, as the actress finalized her divorce from Joe Manganiello last year. They were married for nearly six years before their split, which Sofia has admitted came due to Joe’s desire to have kids, while she didn’t want to be a mom again in her 50s.
Prior to her marriage with Joe, Sofia was engaged to businessman Nick Loeb, whom she also had a legally complicated break-up from. Their relationship ended in 2014, and it garnered attention when Loeb sued Vergara for custody of frozen embryos they had created together during their relationship. The legal battle over the embryos continued for several years and attracted significant media scrutiny, though Sofia was ultimately successful.
