A Dispute Magnified by the Glare of Celebrity
By Andrea Adelson

The cable television audience for “Real Housewives of Orange County” sometime this season can expect to see the real life eviction of one of the show’s stars, but their Laguna Beach landlord was in court this week in an attempt to fast-forward the drama. Teri Iannotti filed court papers in Laguna Hills that set the stage for the county’s sheriff to make an entrance at her Arch Beach Heights home as early as next week, if Frank Curtin, his wife, Lynne, a new addition to “Housewives,” and their two teen-age daughters, don’t leave first.

Though seeing a deputy physically escort the family from the contemporary, two-story home may make good television, Frank Curtin said Tuesday the family is packing up and intends to leave before law enforcement arrives to evict them. “She misjudged the situation to try to discredit us,” said Mr. Curtin. “When you’re in the public eye, you’re scrutinized,” he said.

Iannotti’s local attorney, Carter Mudge, expects the show’s producers to capitalize on the Curtins’ probable move. “Producers thrive on this conflict,” Mudge said. In fact, a crew was on location shooting exterior scenes at the house on Wednesday, though there were no signs of the Curtins or the movers. The Bravo cable network, a unit of NBC Universal, owns the production, now in its fourth season.

The town’s celebrity cache was cemented by the lush production values of MTV’s reality show, “Laguna Beach: The Real OC,” documenting the lives of local teenagers for three seasons beginning in 2004. Perhaps it’s a coincidence, but since the Curtins moved to Laguna from Capistrano Beach in July, “Housewives” film crews have been spotted in recent weeks at local hot spots, such as the St. Regis hotel and Casa del Camino’s rooftop lounge, managers have confirmed.

Curtin, 52, a Laguna Beach contractor whose license was suspended last month, according to the state contractor’s license board, said his business last year was the worst he’s experienced. “I hit a rough spot with finances,” said Curtin, who blamed himself for failing to fulfill the lease’s terms. He described the lease dispute with Iannotti as “a tiny issue with money. She decided not to be patient.”

Iannotti, whose business in real estate sales has also nosedived, jumped at the $65,000 windfall the Curtins offered through an agent for her 3,200 square feet home during the show’s expected eightmonth production schedule. A colleague checked their credit and she assumed Bravo paid them well for allowing the intrusion of cameras into their private lives.

To accommodate the show’s production schedule, Iannotti scrambled to move her belongings out and dislocate a border. She said the Curtins paid the first month’s rent in July, but reneged on two promised security fees and deposits totaling $15,000. When Iannotti forbid the production company from filming in the house due to the tenant dispute, the independent producers agreed to pay a per day rate directly. She says the producers forbid her from disclosing the fee.

“Everyone thought it was an amazing opportunity,” Iannotti said. “Now, I’m feeling like an idiot.”

Instead of profits, Iannotti is sleeping on her parents’ couch, without the anticipated funds to secure a rental herself, and hiring a lawyer to draft an unlawful detainer complaint, which was served on the Curtins on Aug. 26. The law gives tenants five days to respond to the eviction notice. Frank Curtin said he intends to do so, even though the five-day period has lapsed.

In Iannotti’s neighborhood, reactions to the new tenants and their pending departure were mixed.

Downhill neighbor Ross Fallah, walking his two dogs Tuesday, welcomes Iannotti’s return. His litany of complaints with the Curtins ran long: their barking dog, cigarette butts dropped in his sideyard, and overhearing the “confession booth,” as filming went on next door.

Other neighbors, Hesh and Debra Lansky, appreciated that the Curtins came over to introduce themselves when moving in. They haven’t been troubled by the film crew’s SUV, which generally parks off the street.

Even so, their loyalties are clear. “They didn’t take care of their obligations,” Mr. Lansky said.

Fans of blogs and the Internet celebrity news site TMZ may learn where the Curtins end up next. Frank Curtin declined to say. He defended his wife, Lynne, a jewelry designer, as an innocent party in the dispute, which he blames on his own lack of contracting work. “I fell short,” he said. “I’m in good company,” he added.

“We did the show thinking it was light hearted fun. We were hoping for careers for our daughters,” he said.

Here is the latest where it shows that police has actual list of items said to be stolen by the Curtin clan:

Evicted ‘Housewife’ Accused of Looting

Posted Sep 5th 2009 2:00AM by TMZ Staff

Not only did “Real Housewife of Orange County” Lynne Curtin not own the house she was living in on the show, she also didn’t own the furniture … and now she’s accused of stealing a bunch of stuff after she moved out this week.

The actual homeowner claims Curtin stole a bookcase, credenza, armoire and a glass shelf — worth around $5,000 — and reported the alleged thievery to Laguna Beach Police Department yesterday.

The homeowner also claims the home’s carpet was trashed, there were holes in the walls and the travertine tub was damaged.

We got a statement from the homeowner, who said, “I am blown away that grown people can behave this way. They have daughters, how can they seriously think they are setting an example.”

And lets not forget the scam artist noble website called fundbunch.com trying to help Lynne Curtin get the money to pay the rent but unfortunately for the Curtins it has only collected $30.00 and a shit load of bad comments.

Here is Lynne possing for the fundbunch website:

But thanks to Bravo Lynne went from begging on the side of the freeway for money to this:

The latest gossip I heard from a gossipy bird is that Bravo came to the rescue as they should, and paid for temporary residence at a local nice hotel in Orange County. Yeah I think Bravo should pay the bill on this one since Bravo is banking money off embarrassing these people, even though they asked for it, regardless of that, everyone now knows the Curtins’ business and how they broke ass don’t even have a pot to shit in, and how they are one paycheck away from being homeless, not to mention all the smart ass asshole bloggers clowning on them! HI LYNNE!

I feel the least Bravo could do is pay for their housing since this show seems to be their only source of income.