RHONJ: Luis Ruelas' Legal Drama With His Ex-Fiancée Fully Explained
It would appear to most Bravo fans and stans that Luis Ruelas rode into "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Teresa Giudice's chaotic life like a knight in shining armor. "I do really feel in my heart that my parents brought Luis to me," Giudice told ET in February 2021.
The story goes that the pair met while both were vacationing at the Jersey Shore. Ruelas was preparing to leave and ran right past Teresa. "That's how we met ... at the same street I talked to my parents to ask them to send me someone amazing." According to Teresa, she had asked her late parents on that very street to send someone that they wanted for her and that she wanted for herself. "A couple of weeks later. I walk by, and I see Luis," she recalled.
Alas, just like Giudice's ex-husband and father of her four daughters, Joe Giudice, it turned out that Ruelas came with his own set of legal woes. Here's everything we know about Ruelas' legal drama with his ex-fiancée.
Vanessa Reiser filed a lawsuit and restraining order against Luis Ruelas
In 2020, Luis Ruelas' ex-fiancée, Vanessa Reiser, filed a lawsuit against him, alleging that he "would be nasty" and "withdraw" from her if she refused his demands for sex whenever he wanted. Eventually, the parties came to an agreement outside of court for an unknown amount, per Page Six.
Alas, Ruelas made headlines in June 2023 when Reiser petitioned for a restraining order against him, claiming that he was stalking her. Reiser's attorney, Douglas Anton, told Page Six that Ruelas allegedly hired a woman to visit Reiser, a licensed therapist, at her place of employment a handful of times under a fictitious name. According to Anton, at each therapy visit, she turned the tables on Reiser. She asked her pointed questions about her former relationship with Ruelas, including "Do you still love Luis?" and "If [Ruelas] were to leave his wife [Teresa Giudice] and show any regret ... would you want to be with him?"
Anton said the woman's questions didn't initially cause Reiser to be suspicious. It wasn't until Reiser could not collect payment from the purported patient that she turned her over to a collections agency. According to Anton, that's when his staff uncovered that the woman was using an alias and had professional ties to Bo Dietl. As you may recall, Ruelas once boasted of utilizing private investigator Bo Dietl to collect dirt on each cast member. Yikes.
Vanessa Reiser's restraining order was denied
In the end, Luis Ruelas emerged victorious when Vanessa Reiser's petition for a restraining order was denied. Ruelas' attorney, Marco Laracca, told Page Six that not only was Reiser's restraining order dismissed, but the court "also found that she was 'obsessed' with Mr. Ruelas, continuously bothering he and his family." He also noted that the court likened the petition to "a publicity stunt."
Alas, James Leonard Jr., another attorney for Ruelas, wasn't quite as polished in a statement to Reality Blurb! "We won, they lost. Period, that's the end of it. The judge not only rejected their view of the case, she eviscerated it," Leonard said. "Simply put, the court found that Vanessa Reiser was not credible, was not harassed by Mr. Ruelas, and is not the victim that she has unsuccessfully portrayed herself to be."
Still, Reiser's attorney, Douglas Anton, was adamant that his client felt "vindicated" as she was allowed to expose Ruelas for his "offensive conduct." He also noted that they "were 'obsessed' with proving Luis did this invasive thing so that he never does it again."