Former Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin has been accused of using funds from her start-up pickleball company for personal expenses, including her boyfriend’s health insurance, a new lawsuit alleges.
The 62-year-old reality TV alum was sued earlier this month by former business partner Noah Springer in Palm Beach County Circuit Court over allegations tied to her role and handling of funds in her start-up, Pickle Pro Labs, LLC.
He claimed he invested a staggering total of $500,000 into the venture, which was formed to develop a pickleball-related machine known as the 'Go-No-Go,' according to a lawsuit obtained by CBS12 News.
Despite being a minority owner, Springer said Zarin and her boyfriend and business partner, Gary Brody, misused company funds while slowly shutting him out of the business.
In the filing, Springer alleged that he stopped receiving his share of payments while Zarin and Brody secretly established another entity under their sole control and sold the product through that company instead.
Among the claims listed in the lawsuit are breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of funds, conversion, unjust enrichment and failure to make distributions.
He is now suing Zarin and Brody, along with their newly created company, GNG Enterprises FL, LLC, asking the court to step in and put a stop to the pair's alleged conduct.
'Mr Springer's sole goal in pursuing this action is for his ownership interests and investments to be respected and for him to be compensated adequately - nothing more, nothing less,' an attorney for Springer told People.
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin, was accused of using funds from her start-up pickleball company for personal expenses, including her boyfriend’s health insurance
Zarin was sued by former business partner Noah Springer in Palm Beach County over allegations tied to her handling of funds in Pickle Pro Labs, LLC, which he invested $500,000 in
The company was formed to develop a pickleball-related machine known as the 'Go-No-Go,' with Springer being the minority owner
'Had Ms Zarin and/or her entities responded to our pre-suit requests to resolve this matter amicably, these lawsuits may have been avoided entirely,' the statement added.
'Mr Springer remains open to a reasonable resolution but will continue to pursue all available legal remedies, including the recovery of attorneys' fees and costs, to protect his rights.'
The new lawsuit comes years after the business deal was formed, following Springer’s $500,000 investment in the company, formally known as Pickle Innovation Studios, in December 2022. It was renamed to Pickle Pro Labs two years later.
Springer said he invested in Zarin's company because he trusted her 'to act on behalf of Pickle Pro and in the best interest of same,' according to the complaint.
In exchange, he was allegedly granted a 25 percent ownership stake and a promised $5,000-a-month salary for his work developing the pickleball regulating machine alongside the pair.
But by May 2024, according to the lawsuit, Springer stopped receiving payments despite 'advancing funds and business expenses' to Zarin’s company and 'providing services and labor.'
During the same period, he claimed that Zarin and Brody used Pickle Pro’s corporate funds 'without authorization and abusing their position of trust.'
Instead, the documents allege they quietly began diverting funds Springer invested, using them for personal expenses including Brody’s $700-a-month Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance payments.
Springer said Zarin and her boyfriend and business partner, Gary Brody, misused company funds while slowly shutting him out of the business
Springer said he was granted a 25 percent ownership stake in Zarin's start-up and a $5,000-a-month salary for his work developing the pickleball regulating machine, but stopped getting paid
Springer said he invested in Zarin's company because he trusted her 'to act on behalf of Pickle Pro and in the best interest of same'
Zarin and Brody allegedly launched a separate company without Springer’s knowledge, later marketing and selling the Go-No-Go machine through it
They then allegedly launched a separate company without Springer’s knowledge, later marketing and selling the Go-No-Go machine through it.
Springer claimed the move relied on his 'knowledge, funds, resources and time,' yet he received no profits from the sale of the machine, which he alleges was developed using intellectual property owned by Pickle Pro Labs.
Their motive, he alleged, was to 'gain personal benefits' from the use of the company while depriving him 'with the benefits of such transactions and commercialization.'
The filing further alleged that Springer was completely blocked from accessing company accounts and emails, and that Zarin and Brody are 'actively' operating GNG Enterprises without his involvement entirely.
He said he has tried repeatedly to resolve the issue with Zarin and her boyfriend but has been unsuccessful, and now seeks the court’s help in obtaining preliminary injunctive relief.
The allegations have not yet been tested in court, and neither Zarin nor Brody has publicly responded to Springer’s allegations.
For now, the case remains pending in Palm Beach County, where a judge will ultimately decide how - and whether - the claims move forward.
Zarin is a familiar face from her time as an original cast member on The Real Housewives, where she appeared from 2008 to 2011.
The pair's motive was allegedly to 'gain personal benefits' from the use of the company while depriving Springer 'with the benefits of such transactions and commercialization'
Zarin is a familiar face from her time as an original cast member on The Real Housewives, where she appeared from 2008 to 2011
Springer said he has tried repeatedly to resolve the issue with Zarin and her boyfriend but has been unsuccessful, and now seeks the court’s help
The new lawsuit comes just months after Zarin dominated headlines again after being fired from E!'s new Real Housewives of New York City docuseries, The Golden Life.
She found herself at the center of a social media firestorm in February after posting - and quickly deleting - a scathing critique of Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show.
'We remain committed to delivering the series in line with our company standards and values,' Blink49 Studios, the production company behind the new reality series, said in a statement announcing her termination, according to people.
Shortly after his performance, Zarin shared a video on Instagram calling it 'the worst halftime show ever' and claiming it was inappropriate for children watching at home.
'It was the worst halftime show ever. I just don't think it was appropriate to have it in Spanish and, quite frankly… grabbing his G [groin] area,' Zarin said in the now-deleted clip. 'I think it was totally inappropriate.'
She continued: 'You've got all these young kids watching the Super Bowl and he doesn't have to be grabbing himself every five seconds because he's so insecure. Seriously.'
Zarin then criticized the language used in his show, suggesting it carried a subtle political message.
'I don't speak Spanish, I would've liked to have known the words he was saying,' the Bravo star declared.
'To me, it looked like a political statement because there were literally no white people in the entire thing,' she added. 'I'm not taking a side, one way or the other… I think it was an ICE thing. I think that the NFL sold out and it's very sad.'