Bethenny Frankel‘s ex-husband Jason Hoppy rejected a plea deal in his stalking and harassment case on Monday, March 13, Us Weekly can confirm.
The pharmaceutical sales executive, 45, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom to face stalking and harassment charges that were brought against him by the Real Housewives of New York City star, 46. The former couple, who share 6-year-old daughter Bryn, finalized their divorce in July 2016, three and a half years after they first announced their split.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office confirms to Us that Hoppy’s attorney Alex Spiro turned down the prosecution’s offer for his client to plead guilty to a harassment violation and attend an anger management program. “The defendant rejected and then this was adjourned for motions,” the D.A.’s office tells Us in a statement.
The New York Daily News reported that Judge Abena Darkeh ordered Hoppy not to contact Frankel and adjourned the case to April 26. Spiro had no comment when Us reached out.
Hoppy was arrested on January 27 after he allegedly contacted Frankel “numerous times via email and FaceTime, and approached [the] victim making verbal threats,” an NYPD spokesperson confirmed to Us. According to a police report obtained by Us, Hoppy and Frankel got into an argument on January 17 at Bryn’s Manhattan school, where she claimed he told her, “‘You can play your game. It doesn’t matter. You can get 10 lawyers. There’s nothing you can do to stop me. You’ll be sorry.'”
Hoppy has denied the charges. His attorney at the time, Robert C. Gottlieb, previously told Us, “There are no words to express how saddened Mr. Hoppy is over his ex-wife’s unjustified actions. His only concern is his daughter and he intends to vigorously fight these false charges. We fully intend to do our talking in the courtroom.”
Frankel was later granted an order of protection against Hoppy, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed to Us in January.
In September 2016, Frankel opened up to Us exclusively about the emotional aftermath of her four-year divorce court battle with Hoppy. “There are still some bad parts that I definitely thought would be gone,” she said. “But the hardest parts have been anything that seems negative for my daughter. Anything that is unnecessarily negative for my daughter is really challenging for me.”
