RHONJ: Margaret Joseph's Legal Problems Explained - Nicki Swift

RHONJ: Margaret Joseph's Legal Problems Explained - Nicki Swift,It's no secret that Margaret Josephs, star of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," has had her fair share of legal problems. Here's a look at those issues.

RHONJ: Margaret Joseph’s Legal Problems Explained – Nicki Swift

It’s no secret that Margaret Josephs, star of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” has had her fair share of legal problems. Normally she’s someone who spills the tea on “RHONJ,” but legally, she’s been in the hot seat quite a bit. When Housewives viewers first met Josephs in Season 8 of “RHONJ” in 2017, her career in fashion was one of her main selling points. In fact, the cast took a group trip to Italy under the guise of Margaret needing to pick out textiles. Given that Milan is an epicenter of fashion, Josephs’ fashion career seemed like a big deal, according to Entertainment Weekly.

However, underneath the pomp and circumstance was a harsh reality. Josephs’ line, Macbeth, was being sued by larger company, Vineyard Vines, a clothing brand that had recently partnered with Target, massively expanding their consumer reach. The lawsuit first landed in Josephs’ lap in 2014 when the “powerhouse in pigtails” was sued by the company for copyright infringement. The lawsuit focused on the logo, a whale, which Vineyard Vines alleged too closely resembled their signature logo, according to Distractify.

Josephs vehemently denied these allegations, but the lawsuit — one that existed years prior to her days as a Jersey Housewife — would not only continue to be a headache for her, but it would also play out on the show and be used as fodder against her by rival cast members.

Margaret Josephs was forced to settle with Vineyard Vines

Margaret Josephs and Joe Benigno smiling

Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

Margaret Josephs’ legal problems involving her clothing company, Macbeth, weren’t settled until after the conclusion of her freshman season on “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” On the show, regarding Vineyard Vines, Josephs stated, “They’re my competition, and they accused me of stealing their logo, which I did not do.” However, despite her insistence that she wasn’t guilty of ripping off their whale logo, the outcome did not work out in the reality star’s favor (via Sportskeeda).

Josephs lost the case and was ordered to pay Vineyard Vines $300,000. Unfortunately, Josephs paid less than two-thirds of the damages awarded — a move that had a significant financial impact on her. In addition to paying the remaining $110,000 left on the settlement, Josephs was also ordered to pay a staggering $500,000 for breaching the original settlement (via Women’s Wear Daily).

Even though Josephs settled with Vineyard Vines, putting an end to her legal mess, she maintains she did not do so out of guilt, but instead out of monetary convenience. “I filed bankruptcy on my business. They put a lien on my property. I’m up to my eyeballs in legal bills.” Still, even with Josephs putting the logo lawsuit behind her, she was later slapped with another lawsuit, but instead of it involving her business, it directly impacted not only Josephs, but her husband, Joe Benigno, as well.

Margaret Josephs and her husband are at the center of a loan lawsuit

Joe Benigno and Margaret Josephs smiling

Manny Carabel/Getty Images

After making it through the copyright debacle with Vineyard Vines, it didn’t take long for Margaret Josephs to find herself in legal hot water again. In 2019, Josephs was sued for $200,000 by a couple who claimed she and her husband, Joe Benigno allegedly did not pay back a loan. Not only did the plaintiffs say they didn’t receive the money in the one-year time frame, but also, after 16 months, they still had no repayment from Josephs or Benigno (via Radar Online).

The lawsuit contained detailed documentation of the allegations, stating, “Written demand for payment has been made since September 23, 2017, including but not limited to a Notice of Default and Demand for Payment by letter dated November 30, 2018; however, to date no payments have been made, and Defendants remain in default of the loan.”

However, despite everything stacking up against her, Josephs remains a staple of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” The series is slated to return in February 2023 for an all-new season, making this Josephs’ sixth season as a main cast member (via Today). As someone who doesn’t typically shy away from putting it all out there for the world to see, listen to, and comment on, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that her ongoing legal battles will be discussed on the show’s new season.