Real Housewives of Potomac star Monique Samuels slammed costar Candiace Dillard on Twitter on Saturday, November 16, and has filed a counter claim against her former friend a week after she was charged with assault.
According to a filing obtained by Us Weekly, a summons was issued to Dillard, 32, by the District Court of Montgomery County in Maryland on Thursday, November 14, for a charge of second-degree assault. A trial date has been set for December 23.
Samuels’ legal action comes a week after she was similarly charged after an incident between the pair on October 16.
The women were at dinner with their costars when they got into a heated argument and Samuels, 36, allegedly grabbed Dillard by the hair and pulled her down towards the ground. It took several people to get Samuels off the former Miss United States as police were called to the scene, all while cameras were rolling for season 5 of the Bravo show.
Samuels’ attorney, A. Scott Bolden, told Us in a statement that they “had no choice but to file this criminal summons case after several attempts to mediate this situation with [Dillard] were rejected by herself and her team.”
“My client was assaulted by someone known for her aggressive, threatening and belligerent conduct. On this regard, Mrs. Samuels had no choice but to fully defend herself and she did,” he continued. “Nevertheless, my client wants nothing more than to find peace with this situation but unfortunately the ability to do so through mediation has been denied. Therefore, this summons is the proper next step for Mrs. Samuels and her right to self-defense.”
Dillard’s personal attorney, James J. Walker Jr., told Us in a statement that he and his client will “gladly welcome” seeing Samuels in court.
“I did not know innocent people filed counter claims as a strategic move after we all know they have been charged and caught on video threatening and attacking our client!” he said. “We pray she is presently getting some type of treatment for anger management! The video is very clear and my client and I have confirmed with the network that Mrs. Samuels was clearly the aggressor!”
Dillard alleged in an Instagram post on Saturday that her planned appearance at the Washington Fusion vs. Chicago Vikings game in Washington D.C. that night, where she was set to sing that National Anthem, had been canceled due to Samuels’ “personal vendetta.”
The “Not for Lazy Moms” podcast host responded on Twitter, writing, “Seriously? Boo boo you are not, never was and will never be that important to me. People with no REAL responsibilities crack me up!!! As if I have time to care about your failed attempts at being booked. You’re laughable. Keep showing the world how obsessed you are.”
