For a while there, Chelsea Houska was on one hell of winning streak.
With the launch of their home reno show Down Home Fab, Chelsea and husband Cole De Boer made the leap from MTV to HGTV and entered an exciting new phase in their careers.
(One that, crucially, doesn’t require them to showcase their private family drama for the amusement of the general public.)
But success attracts haters, and it wasn’t long before Chelsea and Cole were dealing with some unwanted attention from a former business partner.
As we previously reported, Chelsea and Cole are being sued for $4 million by a social media consulting firm called Envy.
Envy alleges that they helped the De Boers earn millions from sponsored content deals, and the couple hid their earnings so as to avoid paying a commission.
Chelsea and Cole have filed a counterclaim alleging that Envy actually owes them $150,000.
Now, after years of legal wrangling, it looks as though the two parties may soon square off in court.
And the DeBoers are taking preemptive steps to protect their privacy.
According to a new report from UK tabloid The Sun, Chelsea and Cole have filed documents requesting that the judge seal any filings involving their financial situation.
“Defendants Chelsea DeBoer and Cole DeBoer are well-known reality television stars and influencers who have built their careers in the public eye for the past decade,” the court docs read.
The attorneys went on to describe how Chelsea and Cole have filed paperwork of a sensitive nature in connection with this suit, and they ask that certain information — including their incomes — remain private.
“Defendants seek to shield this information from public disclosure as it is highly confidential and competitively valuable information that is not available to the public and can negatively impact Defendants’ ability to conduct business,” the lawyers wrote.
“Public disclosure of sensitive information such as how much revenue the DeBoers collect from brands and expenses incurred will harm the DeBoers in limiting the willingness of brands to negotiate about financial terms of future deals.”
It’s a reasonable request, and the judge is expected to grant it.
But the DeBoers probably won’t have as much luck with their request to dismiss the case entirely.
Chelsea’s attorneys recommend “dismissing the Complaint in its entirety because Plaintiff cannot raise a genuine issue of material facts as to all claims for relief against those defendants; (b) granting movants judgment in their favor on their breach of contract Counterclaims against Plaintiff; and (c) awarding movants costs, fees and such other and further relief as is just and proper.”
“Once I was able to establish myself as a reality star, companies would approach me and offer to do branding deals where I would use and promote their items in exchange for payment,” Chelsea said in her formal declaration.
“That happened for Cole as well once he began appearing on Teen Mom 2.”
“Envy was required to pay me, through C&A, 65% of the money that was paid to Envy in connection with a licensing agreement.”
Chelsea alleges that the company failed to hold up their end of the bargain and now she wants what’s hers.
This situation has the potential to get ugly, and it may cost Chelsea some of her hard-earned privacy.
But you can’t blame her for sticking up for herself!
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