The Real Housewives franchise is a behemoth force in the television world, with a number of different shows airing new episodes at any given time. The franchise has also shifted somewhat to the true crime genre, thanks to legal issues from cast members like Beverly Hills’ Erika Jayne and Salt Lake City’s Jen Shah. And the latter Housewife’s legal team is reportedly dropping her due to a massive unpaid bill. That doesn’t sound very Shah-mazing.
Jen Shah has been making a ton of headlines over the past few years, thanks to her legal issues. She eventually plead guilty to fraud, and has recently begun her prison sentence. But her appeal process might be more difficult without her legal team; Radar is reporting that they’re no longer representing her. Namely because she allegedly failed to pay them a whopping $124k in legal fees.
Of course, it’s not as simple as the lawyers not working with Shah any longer. This change actually had to be signed off on by Judge Stein, who is overseeing the RHOSLC star’s case. But apparently they provided enough information that the motion was granted. So now she’ll presumably have to find a new legal team in the midst of her time spent in prison.
This is potentially a very damaging turn of events for Jen Shah. $124k is a huge sum of money for most people to come up with, let alone from prison. Jobs for inmates offer a notoriously low pay, with that money typically used to purchase items from the commissary. And with Shah no longer able to film The Real Housewives or do appearances, it should be interesting to see if/how she and her family are able to accrue this money.
For those unfamiliar, Jen Shah landed herself in hot water over charges related to defrauding the elderly of their savings. She maintained her innocence throughout the last two seasons of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, before eventually pleading guilty in New York City. She was sentenced to 78 months in prison, or 6.5 years. While she might be hoping to get out earlier for good behavior, Shah will presumably need to find new legal representation first.
Since she plead guilty, hardcore Bravo fans have been wondering how Jen Shah’s prison time will ultimately affect the future of the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Her legal issues have been one of the biggest plot lines throughout the last few seasons, while Shah herself was one of the most entertaining characters in the cast. It remains to be seen if/when the show will return to filming, and how the cast will change up now that she’s not there. Meanwhile, her guilty plea is currently a plot line on Ultimate Girls Trip, which features RHOSLC’s Heather Gay and Whitney Rose.
Bravo fans can currently watch Real Housewives of New Jersey and Ultimate Girls Trip on Bravo and Peacock respectively. In the meantime, check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
