Real Housewife of NJ Ex Brings Real Calif. Libel Suit Against Publisher

Image by Getty Images via @daylifePublisher Simon & Schuster and Steven Prigge, author of  The Naked Truth, the biography of Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Danielle Staub, have been sued for defamation in Riverside County (Calif.) Superior Court by Staub's former spouse, Kevin Maher, according to the Courthouse News Service.

Maher's libel claim is grounded in pages 141-145 of the biography, which he alleges falsely accuse him of criminal acts of physical abuse against his ex-wife. The complaint alleges the book defames Maher by claiming he behaved "like a crazed animal" "beating the hell out of" Danielle Staub. Other false statements, according to the plaintiff, include that his ex had a restraining order in effect against him, that he was handcuffed by police after the alleged beating, and that he served 18 months in a Pennsylvania jail for confessing to a crime against Staub.

Staub claims that he warned Simon & Schuster in February of this year that he would sue if any falsehoods about him were published in the book. Maher did not name the 48-year-old Staub as a defendant in the suit, so just call him an old romantic. Staub generated controversy of her own this year when she complained that a purported sex tape featuring her was in the possession of Hustler magazine.