Kim DePaola Addresses Being Thrown Into Teresa Giudice's Husband Luis Ruelas' Litigation Against His Ex

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Kim DePaola is caught in the middle of a legal battle between Teresa Giudice’s husband, Luis Ruelas, and his ex Vanessa Reiser — and now she's sharing her perspective on the ongoing litigation with OK!.

According to a media outlet that obtained court documents, Reiser claimed Ruelas accused her of talking about him to DePaola. She denied doing the claims she did anything wrong.

Prior to Ruelas getting with Giudice, he was with Reiser for two years. They split in 2020 and, a few months later, he filed legal paperwork to try to obtain the engagement ring he had given her back.

She filed a counterclaim against him, accusing him of being controlling and harming her business.

Both denied all allegations of any wrongdoing.

In July 2020, a deal was reached in which Ruelas would keep the engagement ring, and both he and Reiser agreed to refrain from making derogatory statements about one another to third parties.

In October 2024, Ruelas filed new legal paperwork in which he accused her of being in contempt of their agreement as he alleged she had posted defamatory content about him on social media.

Her lawyer denied the new allegations, stating, “Each and every exhibit [Ruelas] has used to allegedly establish a violation … and to establish and alleged contempt, has been refuted and disputed by [Reiser]. Indeed, there is no evidence to establish she violated the consent order; nor is there any proof that [Ruelas] was damaged in any way.”

Recently, Ruelas insisted he wants one of Reiser’s lawyers Douglas Anton disqualified due to him previously representing DePaola. Ruelas called DePaola a “crucial witness” in the case, stating it was a conflict of interest for Reiser to be represented by her former lawyer.

“The ethical concerns surrounding an attorney who is caught between conflicting loyalties — namely, his duty to Defendant Reiser and his prior attorney/client relationship with Kim Depeola — undermine the fairness of the proceedings,” Ruelas’ attorney said in a statement.

“Given Mr. Anton’s prior representation of Kim DePaola and his ongoing involvement with her in a professional capacity, there is no question that his continued representation of Reiser is impermissible under both ethical and legal standards,” he added.

Anton refuted the request, saying Ruelas had not offered any evidence his prior representation of DePaola would impact Reiser’s testimony.

“While I certainly do appreciate the concern, this is simply not the case as the representation of Ms. DePaola in the past on the matters for which I have represented her, in no way affects the current representation of defendant Reiser,” Anton said. “In fact, it was Ms. DePaola who first referred defendant Reiser to me for me to represent her against plaintiff Ruelas years ago when he was unjustly attacking her.”

DePaola went on to file a declaration backing Anton, noting there was no “confidential” information protected by attorney/client privilege that could have an impact on the current case.

On August 7, the motion to disqualify was denied.

In a statement to OK!, DePaola shared she “was friends with the ex.” “At that time, I was estranged from Teresa,” she continued. “The exes had asked for an attorney, and I recommended Douglas. Since then, the ex and I have parted ways, and I am back with Teresa and Luis.” For those wondering whose side she’s on, DePaola directed them to “check out” her Patreon, where she will be doing “an emergency podcast this evening.”