Sofia Vergara says contractor who sued her for $1M after mansion renovation publicized 'false narrative'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Sofia Vergara has taken a legal action to immediately remove a lawsuit brought by her former contractor from the public eye.
The 'Modern Family' actress requested the Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss the "frivolous" court filing.
Why was Sofia Vergara sued by her former contractor?
Vergara was sued by a company named Reside Custom Homes (RCH) for $1.7 million in damages, according to Radar Online.
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As per the lawsuit filed earlier this year, RCH claimed they were hired by the actress in April 2022 to renovate her Beverly Hills mansion worth $26 million.
The company stated that Vergara agreed to the payment for the work with an additional contractor's fee.
RCH further claimed that it replaced a flight of stairs and installed clay plaster in various rooms of the million-dollar mansion in California.
The company stated it worked on the mansion until March 2023 but Vergara failed to pay the agreed-upon amount of $1.7 million.
However, Vergara countersued the company claiming they filed the lawsuit in an attempt to "pressure" her into the $1.7 million settlement.
The actress stated that the contractor publicized a "false narrative" about the situation in the court filing.
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Sofia Vergara's lawyer says she will not be 'bullied' by the contractor who sued her
The 'Griselda' actress' attorney stated that RCH filed the lawsuit days after Vergara sent a demand letter to the company.
Vergara alleged that the contractor overcharged her on projects and performed below-standard work.
She informed the company that they would be taken to mediation followed by arbitration. However, RCH went on to file a public lawsuit despite her demand letter.
In her newly-submitted response, the actress stated that the lawsuit filed by RCH should entirely be moved out of Los Angeles Superior Court and should proceed to arbitration.
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"Not only are [RCH’s] claims subject to arbitration, they are nothing more than frivolous counterclaims that were concocted after Defendants’ counsel sent an October 2023 demand letter regarding [RCH’s] failures to perform its obligations as General Contractor,” stated Vergara’s lawyer.
"[RCH] filed this action in direct contravention of the obligation to arbitrate in order to publicize a false narrative and seek to embarrass well-known actress, Defendant Sofia Vergara, given her public persona," the lawyer added.
Her attorney also accused the company of suing Vergara to "embarrass" her and "extort a settlement on monies that are simply not owed.”
“But [RCH] miscalculated because Vergara won’t be bullied,” Vergara's lawyer wrote.
The judge has yet to rule on the actress' request to move the case to arbitration.
