"Real Housewives of New Jersey" matriarch Caroline Manzo has been brought into the ongoing legal battle between former cast member Danielle Staub and her ex-husband Kevin Maher. Maher, who wrote "Cop Without a Badge," the book that was the catalyst for the table-flipping finale of the 2009 season, is suing Staub for defamation. Just how did Manzo get involved? The short story is this: Maher claims that Staub defamed him by spreading stories about Maher repeatedly raping her and killing her dog. Staub has denied spreading such stories and filed a motion to get the whole lawsuit dismissed, arguing that if she did tell such tales there was no evidence of it. But, Manzo was deposed on Maher's behalf, and according to transcripts of the deposition obtained by RadarOnline.com, Manzo recounts those stories which Staub claims she never told. In one example from the transcript:
Manzo testifies that Staub depicted ex as 'monster'
"Real Housewives of New Jersey" matriarch Caroline Manzo has been brought into the ongoing legal battle between former cast member Danielle Staub and her ex-husband Kevin Maher. Maher, who wrote "Cop Without a Badge," the book that was the catalyst for the table-flipping finale of the 2009 season, is suing Staub for defamation. Just how did Manzo get involved? The short story is this: Maher claim
"She depicted him as a monster. She depicted him as someone who would beat her daily, as someone that put her in the hospital due to the beatings, I want to say on more than one occasion. She told a story about being raped on broken glass. One incident, she said that he shot her dog. And then another incident she claimed that he hanged her dog. I'm confused as to whether this all was at the same moment of the rape on the glass ..." Manzo also said that Staub "claimed to have been hiding in a tree at some point, afraid that when he came home he would find her and beat her. She claimed to be the victim of prostitution due to his demands, that he put her into that world, again depicting him as an absolute monster." Staub and Maher attempted mediation on July 22 but no progress on the case was made. Their next court date is Sept. 27.Related: Ex-'Housewife' Staub dishes on her new shows