‘Southern Charm’ Legal Case Ramps Up As Star Lawyer L. Lin Wood Takes The Reins

Southern Charm might have aired its season finale last night, but it seems legal action might be gearing up behind the scenes and running through the summer. Fans have been following the rift between Patricia Altschul, Thomas Ravenel, his current girlfriend, and a gossip blog. It’s now been confirmed that a prominent Atlanta attorney, L.Lin Wood, and his associate, G. Taylor Wilson have taken on the case of Luzanne Otte, a Los Angeles attorney who dated Ravenel briefly.

Otte, a friend of Southern Charm stars Patricia Altschul and Kathryn Dennis, has asked politely that Ravenel and his current partner stop smearing her name in the press and on social media to no avail, and now she has sought the counsel of L.Lin Wood, who has represented such notables as Dr. Phil and JonBenet Ramsey’s family against various press outlets for libel and slander.

FitsNews broke the story that after being polite and more than patient, Otte is striking back after months of trolling led by Ravenel and his Season 5 girlfriend, reportedly a home healthcare worker from California. The seven-month-plus trolling started when Ravenel’s girlfriend, Ashley Jacobs, learned that she was not the first person he dated out in California while playing polo, and also the second woman asked to join the cast of the popular Bravo show as his plus-one for Season 5.

John Ramsey files lawsuit to expose CBS fake documentary. https://t.co/M0eXvDDBQx

— Lin Wood (@LLinWood) October 12, 2017

Luzanne Otte, who works as a lawyer for a non-profit organization, was introduced to Thomas Ravenel in the spring of 2017 by Patricia Altschul and proceeded to go on approximately eight dates with him before breaking off the budding relationship, according to the Daily Mail. Initially, Otte was reluctant after the first date to see Ravenel again when she learned that he was dating Jacobs. Otte says it wasn’t jealousy, but rather a disinterest to see someone who was also dating another woman.

Otte explains that Ravenel was eager and said it was no problem and that he broke things off with Jacobs. Ravenel told her he had “dumped Ashley like garbage.”

But Otte says things changed when he relentlessly spoke ill about his ex and mother of his two children, Kathryn Dennis, saying that it would be best if she was out of the picture.

“It was very dark, and it was in the company of three other people, that he said he thought he would be better off if she overdosed. I’ve never heard anyone say that about their worst enemy, much less the mother of their children. I mean aside from the basic human cruelty it was just very disturbing.”

Otte says that she had no contact with Ravenel for months, and then the stalking campaign started online. She says that she has been threatened, her privacy violated, and even parts of emails between herself and Ravenel have been posted online, portraying her as being obsessed with Ravenel and Jacobs.

Here's What Happened When We Lived Like Southern Charm's Patricia Altschul For a Day #SouthernCharm @Pataltschul @bravotv: https://t.co/wrGCgWI0EP

— TOWN&COUNTRY (@TandCmag) July 13, 2018

While Luzanne Otte can’t talk at this time about the state of her case, it is valid to examine what kind on big guns she has hired to dispatch this case swiftly and effectively. The L.Lin Wood law firm has most recently taken on the tabloid site, The National Enquirer for client Dr. Phil McGraw and his wife, Robin, suing the publisher for $250 million for spreading falsehoods.

McGraw stated that he believes in the First Amendment, but that doesn’t protect people who intentionally spread lies.

“As a member of the media, I have a deep respect for the First Amendment. But it does not protect these people who knowingly print lies for money, particularly lies about my wife.”

Mr. Wood agrees and said that such gossip sites serve no purpose.

“If you ask me professionally, I would like nothing more than to see this company put out of business. They serve no legitimate purpose in society.”

Thomas Ravenel is being represented in this matter by one of his polo friends, a family law attorney from Connecticut named Richard Terbrusch, says FitsNews. Terbrusch is also representing Ravenel against the accusations that he sexually assaulted at least two women over the last few years, one of which was the Ravenel family nanny.

Terbrusch plays as part of Ravenel’s Brookland polo team, and also socializes with Ravenel and Jacobs, having spent New Years in Florida with the couple. Terbrusch’s website indicates he mostly handles divorces and bankruptcies, so it’s unclear if he will remain with Ravenel as the stakes get higher.