Lisa Hochstein Feels Vindicated as Restraining Order from Lenny’s New Girlfriend is Dismissed as Unfounded
“I’m happy to say the court system works and that the judge saw right through these false and fictitious accusations
Reesa Smocovich
“I’m happy to say the court system works and that the judge saw right through these false and fictitious accusations against me,” Lisa Hochstein shares.
The restraining order Lenny Hochstein’s girlfriend, Katharina Mazepa put against his estranged wife Lisa Hochstein has been dismissed. She shares that she is happy to have justice back.
“I feel vindicated,” Hochstein, 40, says in an interview for this week’s issue of PEOPLE about her ongoing divorce. “I’m happy to say the court system works and that the judge saw right through these false and fictitious accusations against me. I only wish she wouldn’t have spread these lies in the first place, as it was clearly a waste of time, money, and energy for all of us involved.”
Mazepa, who is 27 years old did not respond to the request from PEOPLE to comment right away.
The Australian fashion model who went public with her love affair with Lenny who is 56 years old had filed a restraining order prior against the reality star back in July, accusing her of harassment and bullying.
Restraining Order against Lisa Hochstein Dismissed as Unfounded
Court documents, submitted on Nov. 28, dismissed the order as having “no just cause.”
“Upon review, the evidence presented is insufficient under the Florida law … to allow the Court to issue an injunction for protection against domestic, repeat, dating or sexual violence or stalking,” read the filing, obtained by PEOPLE and signed by Judge Ayana Harris.
Lisa says she’s “happy” to have her name cleared, admitting it was “scary to think I might have something like this on my permanent record — especially as a mother to two small kids.” (She shares Logan, 7, and daughter Elle, 3, with Lenny.)
“I’m squeaky clean, I’ve never done anything, hurt anybody, I’ve never threatened anyone with physical harm in my life,” she says. “I believe it was all just an attempt to vilify me in the press, paint herself as the victim in the public eye so people wouldn’t criticize her for being in a relationship with a married man, and help Lenny in our divorce proceedings. Because she filed this three months after any contact had happened between us. There was no reason to come after me.”
She adds, “I begged Lenny to have her drop it. I said, ‘I’m the mother of your children!’ But he kept saying, ‘Sorry, I asked her, she just won’t do it,” Lisa claims. “It never should have been granted in the first place! Restraining orders are granted when you threaten someone with physical harm and they’re in danger for their lives; her life was never in danger. None of what she claimed was true and the court proved that.”
Lisa Hochstein and Lenny’s Marriage Fell Apart Slowly, then All at Once
The Hochsteins have been staples on RHOM since its second season, which premiered in 2012, and always presented themselves as having an unbreakable bond. But underneath that portrait of perfection were cracks that Lisa says she always expected they would work through together — which is why she felt “blindsided” when he told her he wanted to split.
“Of course our marriage wasn’t perfect. There were ups and downs, but we always prided ourselves for being that couple that would stick through it,” she says. “There was never any real talk of divorce before that. I never thought we’d be on this path. I always thought we would come back together and work it out somehow — especially with two young kids, a thriving business, and everything we worked for.”
Lenny denies Lisa’s claims, saying that the idea of divorce was long discussed, and that Lisa was interviewing divorce attorneys upwards of three years ago.
“I’ve never hidden anything from Lisa,” he said. “I told Lisa time and time again, ‘I can’t do this.’ … I begged her to change and she refused. She didn’t care. If anything, she became worse. And that’s why we’re getting divorced.”