Faith Stowers’ call for Stassi Schroeder to stop publishing her “nonfactual” books may not hold water in court, attorney Neama Rahmani exclusively told Us Weekly.
“I think what happened to Faith is wrong, but you have to have an actionable claim,” Rahmani explained on Tuesday, June 20, referring to Stowers’ allegations that Schroeder, 34, previously made racially charged comments about her while working together on Vanderpump Rules.
The lawyer pointed out that with freedom of speech in America, “Even though something may be racist [or] completely vile [and] disgusting, that doesn’t mean you can get the book [it’s written in] taken down.”
Faith Stowers, Stassi Schroeder. Arlene Richie/Shutterstock; Broadimage/Shutterstock
However, Rahmani told Us that Stowers, 34, “might be able to sue for defamation” depending on the evidence she has against Schroeder.
“The question is, ‘What false statements were made and what were your damages?’ Just being a racist, unfortunately in this country, is not actionable,” he added.
The reality stars first made headlines in 2020 when Schroeder and Kristen Doute were fired from Pump Rules after Stowers claimed that the women wrongfully called the police on her years prior.
Stowers also alleged that while she was on the series from 2015 to 2017, the “Straight Up with Stassi” podcast host and Doute, 40, made racially insensitive remarks about her and the fact that she is Black.
While both Schroeder and Doute issued public apologies for their past actions, Stowers made it clear she was not OK with how things panned out. On Sunday, June 18, the Challenge alum added a link to her GoFundMe page asking fans to help her raise enough money to sue Schroeder, who Stowers claimed has been profiting off her negative actions since exiting Pump Rules.
Faith Stowers. Arlene Richie/Shutterstock
“Stassi Schroeder has written a NY times best seller book recently and has made more terrible nonfactual claims about me once again. After all she has done, she continues to stand by her ignorant claims that are very harmful to me and my family,” Stowers wrote on the crowdfunding site where she is asking for $20,000 toward her legal fight. “I’m seeking assistance with my legal team to get this book removed and all royalties/funds collected from this book be given to charity or assisting a family of choice. Thank you for your support always. And thank you all for standing up against bullies and racial division.”
The former SUR worker addressed her decision to take legal action against Schroeder in a statement to Us on Tuesday. “I believe Stassi hasn’t learned from her mistakes and is still alleging in her book that I have committed a felony. This is harmful to my career and to my family. Enough is enough,” Stowers said. “I found an amazing legal team and we are seeking assistance from supporters that also stand against bullying and racial divide to once and for all end this matter.”
Rahmani, meanwhile, told Us on Tuesday that an attorney would “need something more from Faith’s side” to stop the New Orleans native from potentially publishing more installments of her book, Off With My Head. Following the release of her 2022 memoir, Schroeder — who is pregnant with baby No. 2 — has also been touring with her husband, Beau Clark, and making money off the show.
“The royalties, that’s an agreement between the publisher and Stassi. So, the publisher’s obligated to pay those royalties,” the lawyer explained. “If someone were to sue Stassi [and] get a judgment, then that person can execute that judgment and garnish Stassi’s wages, levy her bank accounts, do all the things you can when you get a judgment in a civil case. But first you gotta win before you can go after the assets.”
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With reporting by Christina Garibaldi
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