Getty Apartment fire.
A woman aspiring to be on “Real Housewives of New York” is accused by her neighbor of setting an apartment fire.
Taja Abitbol the partner of former Yankees and Mets pitcher David Cone is facing a lawsuit stemming from a fire.
Here’s what you need to know:
Taja Abitbol’s Neighbor Accused Her of Using the Fire ‘to Promote Her Upcoming TV Appearance & Advance Her Candidacy’ for RHONY
According to the New York Post, Abitbol is named in a lawsuit filed by “Army vet and Purple Heart recipient” Daniel Rice, her neighbor.
The outlet reported that the fire took place in the couple’s “14th-floor pad at a luxury high-rise in Lincoln Square on Nov. 6, 2019 — the day before Abitbol was slated to appear on Tamron Hall’s ABC talk show.”
“The flames triggered sprinklers which significantly damaged the apartment,” the outlet reported, according to his lawsuit filed in early July.
Additionally, he claims Abitol “used the fire to promote her upcoming TV appearance and ‘advance’ her candidacy for the Bravo reality show” RHONY.
“Abitbol’s desire for fame and notoriety is well-known,” the lawsuit reads, according to the outlet.
While on the show Abitbol admitted to the fire being her fault, saying, “Yesterday morning, I basically set the house on fire during Mercury retrograde and I had to move. I came here from my hotel room.”
The suit also mentions an Instagram post from November 7, 2019, the day after the fire in which she promotes her appearance on the show with nine fire emojis.
The lawsuit accuses Abitbol of “deliberately, knowingly, intentionally and/or recklessly,” having “caused the fire … in order for Abitbol to have a story to discuss on the Tamron Hall Show and/or to advance Abitbol’s candidacy as a castmate for the Real Housewives of New York television show, among other things,” the outlet reported.
In August 2019, two months before the fire, Abitbol was featured in Page Six as one of the women “desperate to become Real Housewives.”
In the article, she claims she’s been interviewed four times for the show.
“My life is so perfect for TV that it’s unbelievable to me that they don’t see that. And that’s the truth,” said Abitbol. “I don’t think they get the Yankee logo — how important that is in New York. Are they serious?”
In March 2022, Andy Cohen Announced a “Radical New Plan” to Revive RHONY
Andy Cohen revealed to Variety on March 23, 2022, a “radical new plan” to revive RHONY, which received low ratings for season 13.
According to Cohen, the reboot will come in two parts and “takes into account everything that our passionate audience has really been telling us over the last year.” The plan includes “rebooting and recasting” and then “launching a second RHONY series featuring former stars,” the outlet reported.
Cohen says the “first priority” is to fix RHONY as the fans know it, and that includes adding a more diverse cast.
“There are thousands of stories to tell here,” he told the outlet. “This is the most multicultural, diverse, and energetic and exciting city in America: We are searching for a multicultural group of friends who really best reflect the most exciting city in the country. We’re looking for a group of women who are real friends, and who are of diverse backgrounds, races and religions.”
READ NEXT: PHOTOS: ‘Ladies of London’ Stars Reunite