Another day, another reality star heads to court. This time, it’s celebrity hairstylist/ “Fashion Queen” Derek J. who appeared in an Atlanta courtroom earlier today (July 23, 2015) to defend his craft.
Attorney Phaedra Parks of The Real Housewives of Atlanta was there to represent Derek J, who is being accused of ‘stealing’ the weave right off of plaintiff, Benita Williams’ head!
[FLASHBACK: Derek J Faces Stolen Weave Lawsuit! Meet His Accuser… (PHOTOS)]
For the record, I decided to head to court to follow up on this bizarre court case and believe me when I tell you, today’s courtroom antics DID NOT disappoint!
Details about Derek J. & Phaedra’s day in court + exclusive photos below…
There was a whole lot going on in an Atlanta courtroom today concerning the case of Benita Williams vs. Hairstylist Derek J. & The J. Spot Salon and you now the whole situation will probably play out during season 8 of RHOA.
As stated earlier, ‘housewife’ Phaedra Parks appeared as the attorney of record for Derek J. and she also brought along her own attorney (Ronnie Kaplan) to protect her interests as well.
The plaintiff, Benita Williams, was not represented by counsel and chose to present her claims herself.
If you recall, Williams (pictured) alleges that Derek J. ‘stole’ her weave when he uninstalled it from her head and replaced it with some ‘sub-par’ hair. Her suit, filed last July, alleges:
I had my sew-in taken out to be reinstalled. Derek led his team to steal my hair, then Derek installed used ? cheap hair in my head.
He (Derek) also encouraged other stylists to steal my hair.
It was revealed in court by Attorney Phaedra Parks that Derek had filed a counterclaim against Ms. Williams, alleging slander & defamation and that Derek J. had been presented with a settlement offer on his claim.
What’s weird about this entire situation is that Benita Williams’ insurance actually SETTLED Derek’s countersuit for an undisclosed amount prior to the original complaint ever being heard.
That says to me that Williams’ ‘stolen weave’ claims are questionable even to her own insurer! But I digress…
The parties were instructed to mediate and apparently Williams was demanding THOUSANDS for her hair and the defendant wasn’t agreeable to her outrageous demands.
[Sidebar: I’m still trying to figure out what type of weave she had that she was reusing that was worth thousands of dollars?? That had to be some kinda grade A, prime, silky Malaysian, Polynesian mixture that us ‘weave queens’ haven’t heard of! Again. I digress.]
Since mediation efforts stalled, the parties decided to go forward with the case. The plaintiff and her crew head off to one side of the waiting area, while Derek J. and his attorney goes to the other.
I notice that Williams is going over her ‘game plan’ with her witnesses as she pulls out packs of weave (I assume it’s all evidence). The witnesses seem a bit perturbed at this point because it’s been about 2 hours and it’s looking like it’s going to take the rest of the afternoon.
I also overheard that ‘housewife’ Porsha Williams was on ‘standby’ to appear as a weave expert. (I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried!)
As the parties head back in to the courtroom to proceed, things get even weirder!
Before the case is even called, Williams begins shaking in the courtroom and making noises. She seems like she’s going to pass out A bailiff guides her to her seat and she then seems to faint before making it to her seat.
It’s all way too dramatic for me… and there were no cameras in the courtroom to capture it all. Just me and my eyes! It seems like a stall tactic to me.
Williams was loud and aggressive when she thought Derek might settle with her, but when it appeared that her case would actually go forward, she crumbled!
Whatever the case, the judge noticed her antics and asks Phaedra if she would be agreeable to reset the court date. They agree and now Williams has a bit more time to get her case together and possibly get an attorney. *sigh*
On the flip side, it also gives Bravo time to get clearance for their cameras to be in the courtroom… (I bet the plaintiff didn’t consider that when she was ‘fake’ fainting… or maybe she did?)
What do you think about this bizarre ‘weave stealing’ case?
Photos: StraightFromTheA.com