A Virginia judge gave Candiace Dillard Bassett a stress-free start to 2024 last month, dismissing a defamation lawsuit she was facing from Michael Darby, her estranged husband The Real Housewives of Potomac actress Ashley Darby.
First filed on February 15, 2023, dismissal with prejudice was issued in the case on January 3, with a final order entered on January 31. The court found that Michael could not pursue a lawsuit against Dillard Bassett based on the release he signed to appear on the Bravo reality series.
When a case is dismissed with prejudice, it becomes a final judgment and cannot be sought again.
Dillard Bassett has been tight-lipped about the lawsuit, refusing to discuss legal matters when it is RHOP Costars brought it up during the filming of Season 8. But now that it’s over, she’s breaking her silence exclusively with PEOPLE.
“I am incredibly grateful to God for protecting me,” says the “Drive Back” singer (37). “I’m also grateful for my common sense, the support of my family and my incredible legal team for helping the plaintiff get exactly what he doesn’t deserve from me: absolutely nothing.”
Meanwhile, Dillard Basset’s attorneys — Kenneth D. Bynum, Robert L. Jenkins and Madison N. Gibbs of Bynum & Jenkins Law — are also celebrating. “Bynum & Jenkins Law is honored to represent Ms. Bassett and help defend her name against these allegations,” they told PEOPLE in a statement.
PEOPLE has reached out to Michael for comment.
Candiace Dillard Bassett. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty ‘RHOP’ Candiace Dillard-Bassett calls Gizelle Bryant a ‘calculated slab of misery’ for drama Stocking Husband
In his lawsuit, obtained by PEOPLE, Michael, 64, disputed Dillard Bassett’s claims about his sex life in the Season 7 episode.
Michael’s legal team argued in the case that Dillard Bassett “demonstrated awareness that her statements were insidious, reckless and/or would be damaging to Mr. Darby’s reputation” and that they were “willful and stemmed from manifest hatred and contempt [Dillard-Bassett] has for Mr. Darby.”
They said the remarks caused “public contempt, hatred, humiliation, ridicule, contempt and/or embarrassment” to and for Michael.
The former restaurateur filed the lawsuit in hopes of getting $2 million in damages from Dillard Basset, according to the documents: $1 million of which was in compensatory damages and the other $1 million in punitive damages. Michael also wanted the R&B singer to pay him interest, attorney fees and related costs.
Candiace Dillard-Bassett Says ‘RHOP’ Rumors About Husband Chris Bassett ‘Tried Me as a Woman’
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Ashley Darby and Michael Darby.
Getty
Dillard Bassett gave her remarks on RHOP during a heated argument with Ashley, as Ashley made allegations about her husband Chris Bassett.
Michael is still married to Ashley, 35, despite her announcement in April 2022 that they had separated after eight years of marriage. Neither of them has yet filed for divorce.
“I don’t know what’s holding me back,” Ashley — who shares sons Dean, 4, and Dylan, 2, with Michael — told PEOPLE in November. “I was just a little smug about it”
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“If I’m honest, it’s because marriage has its advantages,” she admitted. “Emotionally, there’s nothing. I think he’s moved on, I’ve moved on, but I don’t know… there are some professional and financial benefits that he and I have. It’s not huge, but there are reasons why it’s beneficial for us to get married .”
But she teased that this could soon change. “[The] the reality is we just have to unplug and just do it,” she said.
The Real Housewives of Potomac airs Sundays (8 p.m. ET) on Bravo
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Source: HIS Education