Teresa Giudice REsues Former Bankruptcy Attorney; Blaming Him For Prison Sentence

Teresa Giudice’s lawsuit against her former bankruptcy attorney, James Kridel Jr. lives on, only now in Superior Court in Morris County instead of Manhattan. 

The incarcerated star of The Real Housewives of New Jersey’s lawsuit alleges legal malpractice was committed by the Clifton bankruptcy attorney during his handling of Teresa Giudice’s 2009 bankruptcy filing. Giudice originally sued Kridel in Manhattan Supreme Court in December 2014 for malpractice that she alleges led to her fraud convictions. 

As All About the Tea EXCLUSIVELY reported, the lawsuit was dropped in New York Supreme Court on July 24 (see court documents below), only to be refiled this week in Morris County, New Jersey.  

READ: Legal Malpractice Suit Against James Kridel Discontinued

Teresa is in the middle of serving a 15-month federal prison sentence, and her husband Joe Giudice, will begin serving a 42-month sentence when his wife is released.

“This lawsuit is meritorious and not a publicity stunt. Mrs. Giudice is looking forward to her day in court,” said Teresa Giudice’s lawyer, Carlos Cuevas.

The suit characterizes Kridel, founder of the Kridel Law Group, as an incompetent attorney who “cost plaintiff Giudice her freedom.”  The complaint basically alleges that Kridel made major errors in the handling of Giudice’s bankruptcy petition, which led to the prosecution of both she and her husband. 

“The very lawyer retained to prepare accurate bankruptcy documents literally led his client into the cross-hairs of federal prosecutors and a prison cell,” the lawsuit said.

Kridel maintains that he provided excellent representation to Giudice, and asserts that he cannot be held responsible for falsified documents that Giudice completed years before they met.   While the lawsuit alleges errors and omissions in the bankruptcy documents, Kridel said that Guidice made statements under oath, attesting that she had reviewed the paperwork, for accuracy.  He spoke to the Daily Record on Thursday.

“All of the crimes she committed were done years and years before I knew her. I did everything properly and I can’t undo things that she did in the past,” Kridel said. “Anything she went to jail for occurred well before the bankruptcy filing.”

The complaint is also critical of Kridel for appearing twice on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, accusing him of self-promotion, by allowing Bravo cameras to roll during legal consultations with the Giudices.   

“Defendant Kridel’s conduct in permitting his consultations to be aired on national television reflect that he was more interested in promoting himself than protecting plaintiff Giudice, his client,” the lawsuit charges.

The complaint is seeking damages for malpractice, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract and other causes of action.

 

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