Highlights
- Vicki Gunvalson faces a "financial elder abuse" lawsuit over alleged fraudulent tactics, such as six-figure fees misrepresented as "one-time."
- Plaintiff Diane Field claims Vicki and her partner pressured her when her husband was ailing and after his death, allegedly convincing her to transfer funds to an annuity.
- The lawsuit accuses Vicki and business partner Ali Hashemian of deceitful promises and fraudulent practices, and it seeks unspecified damages.
Former Real Housewives Of Orange County star Vicki Gunvalson is being sued for "financial elder abuse."
Vicki, now 62, left the Real Housewives franchise back in early 2020, but she isn't totally divorced from the show, and she still involves herself in controversies related to it.
Vicki was in the news quite recently for trash talking other RHOC personalities on Instagram — and now, a lawsuit alleging Gunvalson engaged in "financial elder abuse" is making headlines.
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Why A 74-Year-Old Client Is Suing Vicki
On the evening of July 30, InTouch Weekly first broke the story as an exclusive, describing the filing as a "bombshell."
InTouch obtained a copy of the lawsuit, which was filed in May by a woman named Diane Field, with Vicki and business associate Ali Hashemian listed among the defendants.
The outlet provided extensive details about the content of the suit, which centered upon the plaintiff's assets, allegedly totaling $6 million.
Plaintiff Diane maintained that she took over the reins of the vast portfolio she shared with husband George Field in 2002, after he was seriously injured in a bicycle accident.
In the suit, Diane asserted that the couple's finances remained solid for over 20 years, allowing the Fields to live comfortably:
"In her suit, Diana, 74, said for 22 years, from 1997 to 2019, her and her husband George Field invested 90 percent of their [combined] net worth in stocks and mutual funds with a firm in Orange County, California.
"Diane said they were able to live off their work salaries and pensions and did not need to take money out of these accounts, except to pay taxes."
George died in October 2021, but his health began failing before that, a circ*mstance Diane says enabled the behavior alleged in the lawsuit:
"Diane said she was interested in her taxes being lowered and agreed to meet with Ali, adding that she later met with Vicki and Ali. According to Diane, they told her they could lower her income taxes and increase future/potential financial capital for her children, according to the suit.
"Around the same time, Diane claimed George’s health took a 'deep dive.' 'Looking back, Diane thinks the anguish and trauma she was enduring at this time contributed to her letting herself put her trust in [Vicki] and [Ali] as they seemed so sincere and appeared to be working for Diane’s best interest,' the suit read."
RadarOnline also covered the details of the suit, indicating that the plaintiff accused Vicki and her partner Ali of "fraudulent sales tactics," and pressuring her in the aftermath of George's passing:
"Diane accused the reality television personality of 'fraudulent sales tactics' and claimed 'her promises that this annuity would help lower her income taxes' convinced her to transfer money to the Allianz 222 Indexed Annuity.
"Things allegedly only became more difficult for Diane ... At some point [in 2021], [Diane] said she was talked into putting even more money in the annuity.
"In 2022, Diane suffered health problems herself and underwent surgery due to lung cancer."
Another issue raised in the suit was recurring, six-figure fees the plaintiff claims were misrepresented as "one-time" fees, which came to her attention in December 2022, and persisted through this year:
"When this past April rolled around — and another $100,000 was due again — Diane claimed Gunvalson [called] her 'repeatedly' to remind her of her annual payment.
"However, Diane decided to directly contact Allianz, the financial services company overseeing her annuity account, and was allegedly told by a rep that 'she does not have to send any payment in at all' because she in fact had an 'excess' of funds in her account."
Page Six quoted the suit as saying that the defendants "planned and engaged in their pattern of elder financial abuse with malice, oppression, and fraud," and the suit seeks "unspecified damages" if it succeeds.
Vicki hasn't publicly acknowledged the financial elder abuse lawsuit, but commenters on her most recent Instagram post had quite a lot to say about the matter.
The Real Housewives of Orange County
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- Tamra Judge , Heather Dubrow , Shannon Storms Beador , Gina Kirschenheiter , Emily Simpson , Jennifer Pedranti , Alexis Bellino
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- Scott Dunlop
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