5 Times ‘Real Housewives of Pretoria’ Stars Mel and Peet Viljoen Had Run-Ins With the Law
- Their recent arrest in Florida, United States of America, was not the first time the Viljoens got in trouble with the law
- From the Tammy Taylor franchise mess, to Peet's alleged disbarment, the Viljoens have been making headlines for the wrong reasons
- Briefly News takes a look at the five times that the stars Mel and Peet Viljoen had run-ins with the law
Source: Instagram
South African reality TV stars Melany and Peet Viljoen have dominated headlines following their arrest in the States over theft.
However, this is not the first time that they have had legal troubles. Briefly News explores the five times the couple have trended for all the wrong reasons.
What happened between Mel and Tammy Taylor?
A $100million lawsuit against Melany Viljoen continues to haunt her reputation after the American owner of Tammy Taylor sued her for the continuous usage of the trademark past the expiry date.
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They fought back by suing Tammy for $200million. However, the courts ordered them to stop using the Tammy Taylor name and pay statutory damages of R71 million. The Citizen reported that Melany stated that she would not be paying that amount.
Despite this, Mel still believes that she owns Tammy Taylor. In 2024, she went to TikTok to explain that she had worked with Tammy Taylor in America and tried to elevate her business when she only sold 20 nail polish colours and had no salon.
She claimed that she took the brand to South Africa, but as an independent company. However, the documents show that she is not the real owner and was ordered to stop selling the items.
Mel and Peet's $3million move
The couple then relocated to America in hopes of a "better life" than the one in the country. They claimed to have secured a $3 million in funding from Lilymac Spa & Boutique.
Taking to Instagram, Mel wrote: “I just want to say thank you to Sheila Martin, owner and founder of Lilymac Spa & Boutique, for her contribution of $3m. This is such an exciting time. All the queens are coming on board. What she (Martin) loves most about this partnership is the haters, she says. The more bad news about someone, the more Americans want to invest. Very counterintuitive but great for business! America is good to us.”
They claimed to have hired only Afrikaans girls for the so-called work.
Source: Twitter
Was Peet Viljoen disbarred?
According to The Citizen, the South African Legal Practice Council (LPC) found that the Law Society of the Northern Provinces (LSNP) pleaded with the High Court in Pretoria to disbar Peet Viljoen.
This was after he was found guilty of unprofessional, dishonourable and inappropriate behaviour. They later found that he was not fit to practice law in Mzansi.
Not only that, but he also had legal troubles with the taxman, after the South African Revenue Services allegedly issued a tax judgment against him of R10 million.
And finally, their arrest in Florida
Melany and Peet got arrested in the United States after they were caught stealing groceries at a grocery store in Florida.
They were accused of stealing 392 items, and according to a police affidavit, they stole these items due to being in "survival mode" because they did not have visas.
“She stated she was stealing because she was in survival mode and has not worked since coming to the U.S. due to not having a Visa,” according to a Boca Raton police officer, who wrote in the report seen by Local10.
Mel refuses to pay Tammy Taylor
In a previous report from Briefly News, Melany and Peet Viljoen allegedly responded to the US court ordering them to pay Tammy Taylor R71 million.
In the lawsuit, the couple was ordered to stop using the trademark; Mel has no intention to stop.
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Source: Briefly News
