Defamation Claim: Renee Hit with $77M Suit for Badmouthing Surgeon

The lawsuit against Renee Graziano -- star of "Mob Wives," probably best known for her hysterical outbursts projected at anyone over anything -- by a plastic surgeon for $77 million has already been pretty widely reported on.

Another perfect day for Renee.


I tweeted it on Twitter -- and was no sooner hit with tweets saying "bullshit!" She has fierce followers -- it's a shame that their denial isn't enough to change the reality of the situation.


I found an interesting angle to the story on the website Plastic Surgeon, which is written by plastic surgeon Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel -- no, he didn't do the surgery and isn't the one suing her. It says on his blog that Spiegel is a "world renowned facial plastic surgeon specializing in advanced facial aesthetics for both male and female patients."


He is the Chief of the Division of Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Boston University Medical Center, and I think he'd have some good insight into lawsuit filed by the plastic surgeon. Don't be so fast to think he is protecting a fellow plastic surgeon; he could view the other guy as competition!


Here we go:


Mob Wives is a reality show that debuted on April 17, 2011 on VH1 that follows six women in Staten Island after their husbands or fathers are imprisoned for mafia crimes. Renee Graziano is one of the original cast members of the show, and the daughter of Anthony Graziano who is a well-known New York mobster. Another of the Graziano daughters, Jennifer Graziano, created and produces the Mob Wives show.


He performed a full-body lift with a tummy tuck and butt lift on Mob Wives star Renee Graziano in 2011. The procedure was performed during the filming of the reality television show. Dr. Klapper has filed a defamation suit worth $77 million with the Brooklyn Supreme Court as a result of Graziano publicly claiming that the surgery was botched. Lawyer Barry Levin represents Dr. Klapper, and is quoted as saying “She has been on a media campaign to destroy this man’s professional reputation and she has succeeded. His practice has diminished considerably in the last year.”




The New York Daily News reports that Graziano has bad-mouthed Dr. Klapper on her reality show and in various media interviews. On the premiere of Mob Wives second season, Graziano stated: “I went in beautiful, I came out ugly.” In an interview with Ok! Magazine, Graziano stated she tore her stitches when she moved the wrong way after coming out of anesthesia. In a radio interview, Graziano stated that Dr. Klapper was “found guilty of killing a woman”. She went on to say that Dr. Klapper’s family members who are a federal prosecutor and a judge helped to cover up the crime.


Lawyer Barry Levin also reports that Graziano has falsely stated that the doctor never informed her of the risks of surgery. Graziano has falsely claimed that she lost six pints of blood and nearly died during the procedure performed by Dr. Klapper. Graziano filed a report with the state licensing board in March as well although they have taken no action against Dr. Klapper. The producer of the show, Jennifer Graziano has now refused to comment on the case. The show’s production company Weinstein Co. and VH1 are named in the suit with damages being sought.


The suit claims that Graziano has never paid for the surgery although in interviews she has stated that the procedure cost $30,000. The suit also states that when she awoke from the anesthesia used in the procedure, Graziano began to attack the attendants in the recovery room while the reality show’s cameras rolled. The lawsuit contends that “Defendant Graziano was aware she was being filmed for a future episode of ‘Mob Wives’ and conducted her theatrics for the benefit of her television show.” All of Graziano’s further claims have been stated to be completely outrageous by Dr. Klapper’s legal representatives.


It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out both on and off of the reality show screens. Although the Mob Wives star currently has “no comment”, it can be sure that she won’t remain silent for long. After all, Renee Graziano herself once described herself to the New York Post as a “loud, foul-mouthed drama queen”.

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