Russell Armstrong’s lawyer calls Taylor Armstrong’s abuse photos fake

Taylor Armstrong and Daughter
This story makes me sad. Apparently Taylor Armstrong got paid $125,000 for those photos of her bruised face that were shown on Entertainment Tonight. Taylor’s interview with ET airs tonight and I’m interested in what she has to say. Given all we know about her I doubt it’s going to be particularly insightful. I know that sounds so bitchy to say given the terrible circumstances, but it’s hard to avoid saying it. To clarify: Taylor was the victim of some horrific abuse at the hands of her late husband, and it’s definitely her story to tell however she needs to tell it. We know Taylor is a piece of work, but that’s not stopping us from 1. feeling deeply for her for what she went through and 2. believing her side of the story, which is backed up with some powerful evidence. Only Russell’s lawyers want us to believe that evidence was faked. We know Russell abused at least two of his exes, according to reports they filed and restraining orders they took out against him at the time. But Russell, who committed suicide last month, has a lawyer who claims that Taylor got that black eye from either “plastic surgery” or a “football” to the face. That’s despicable to say.

Taylor Armstrong has sunk to a new low, according to her late husband’s lawyer — who claims the black eye photos she recently sold for 6 figures to E.T. are nothing but a shameless hoax.

The lawyer, Ronald Richards, tells TMZ … the injuries depicted in the pictures were not inflicted by Russell.

According to Ronald, the injuries in the photos are either from plastic surgery … or a recent incident involving a football to the face — but not from domestic violence.

Richards tells TMZ, “If Mr. Armstrong was the cause of those injuries he would have been arrested and prosecuted.” Richards also notes … Taylor never filed a police report.

Sources close to Taylor insist the pics are legit — claiming Taylor never reported any injuries because she was under enormous pressure to keep up appearances for the show.

As one source puts it — the black eye pics are just the tip of the iceberg … the rest make Rihanna’s battered face “look like child’s play.”

[From TMZ]

Check out the abuse photos. (I’m not posting them here again.) If she had plastic surgery, she would have had bruises around both eyes and not just around one eye. Plus, how would a football cause that much damage? The fact that the attorney had two different explanations and then says “well my client would have been arrested if he did this” sounds like he’s grasping at straws. I guess Russell hired a lawyer as shifty as he was.

I still haven’t been keeping up with “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.” Those of you who are still watching can tell me if it’s been worth it, but I doubt it. The show is too sad now that we know that Russell killed himself.

Taylor Armstrong

Russell Armstrong and Taylor Armstrong

Taylor is shown with Kennedy in April and with Russell in October of last year. Credit: PRPhotos

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69 Responses to “Russell Armstrong’s lawyer calls Taylor Armstrong’s abuse photos fake”

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  1. Seal Team 6 says:

    Yeah, well, my abuser went around telling people (and still does tell people) I hit myself to make it look like THEY broke my orbital and split my eye open. WTF.

    I suspect the usual “blaming and/or denouncing the victim” comments will make me bail this thread soon, so I will see the Crack Clique on the nest Linnocent thread.

  2. lola says:

    Taylor would not be the first woman to fake abuse for sympathy and/or money.

    This woman is such a greedy famewhore, I would not put it past her to lie about anything. I don’t trust her. She is just off.

    Ya go ahead. Shoot me. I said it.

  3. sandra says:

    really don’t care about this woman and have to agree with lola’s post. wouldn’t be surprising.

  4. Rhiley says:

    CB, please don’t think less of me, but I have watched RHOBH this season, something I said I wouldn’t do. I watch if I happen to catch it but I don’t plan my schedule around or anything like I did last season. It is pretty gross this season and I don’t know how much more I can watch. I was curious how they would handle all this stuff with Russell, and all they have seem to do is have everyone gather at Adrienne’s house (perhaps) at the opening. It really doesn’t look like they have done much editing at all, and Taylor really comes off as unhinged, starving (literally), and perhaps over medicating. She also made a pretty telling comment in last night’s episode when she was drunk, “I came from nothing and I am so afraid to go back to being nothing.” I think this says a lot about the reasons she behaves and manipulates the way that she does.

  5. Fabianne says:

    I just saw the pictures. She has two X marks on her forehead. Does anybody know the reason for this?

  6. Flounder says:

    I don’t think she faked it. She was abused. Regardless of everything, she still deserves sympathy.

  7. Blythe says:

    Eh…I don’t know if a person would break their own orbital bone for sympathy. I agree that Taylor seems weird, unhinged, and “off” though. I watched last night and I almost couldn’t get through the show.

  8. SolitaryAngel says:

    As an abuse survivor, I would like to show that lawyer a football to the face! I HATE how they further victimize the victim like this!

    Never watched the show, never WILL. But Jesus H, can’t that woman SMILE ever? She just does that grimace thing all the time.

  9. Dani says:

    @5 Fabianne – yes, as a nurse I can tell you that the x marks are presurgical protocol we do. The nurse and or the Dr. mark an x above the eye to be operated on.

  10. Kaboom says:

    Way to go shopping for Mel Gibson as a client.

  11. Jules says:

    I agree Lola, although she might have been abused, that photo looked fake. She sold it for money. Someday her daughter is going to see that photo. The woman is nothing but a famewhore.

  12. cici says:

    if taylor has the right to tell her story after the man is dead, then russell’s family/lawyer have the right to defend him if they so choose.

  13. Dani says:

    @seal team – I am sorry for what you have been through. There still needs to be much education regarding domestic abuse.

    With Taylor, because she is so despised people refuse to see that she could also be an abuse victim. But it is possible that she could be both things, a shady lady who was also abused. People need to remember that her husband had previous restraining orders placed against him by other women too. He is hardly clean. Plus she really does fit the typical abuse cycle.

  14. Jezi says:

    Based on Russell’s history of abuse, I would say yes, the abuse towards Taylor is real.

    As for RHOBH, the first 3 episodes I couldn’t take. Very boring and very depressing. However, Brandi will be making her entrance on the next episode and things should definitely perk up. So I would say, it will get better from here.

  15. anti says:

    not discounting abuse in anyway. i do hope that anyone coming forward with photos is genuine. as someone who has been through abuse, people selling their own photos (real or possibly staged) feels repulsive.

  16. wunderkindt says:

    There is some real skepticism because she’s selling the ‘abuse’ pics.

    Seems like they could have been manufactured just for $$$! So her abuse claim is being seen differently bcz of Qs being raised now by what Taylor is doing-‘cashing in’ on abuse!

  17. Seal Team 6 says:

    Blythe —

    So, you don’t know whether or not I broke my orbital bone on purpose? Interesting.

  18. Relli says:

    gosh i have such mixed reviews on this.

    I dont think that it has ever been a secret that this woman is desperate for attention and fame, her real name isn’t even Taylor. It is very obvious that many parts of her fake and that to a certain degree she has fabricated events of her past and even her present to be able to fit in. This does NOT make her any different than the thousands of women who flock to the LA area every year in hopes of making it big. HOWEVER I think what is the most conflicting with these current turn of events is her sponsorship of a abused women’s shelter. This was a large part of her story in the 1st season and is she was truly in trouble why didn’t she turn to anybody and why would she sell herself as a survivor if abuse is still a part of her present?!?!?! why would she expose her daughter to this?
    I am by no means calling her a liar, physical abuse is never OK. BUT i do think she has been very opportunistic in making lemonade out of all this, the obsessive Radar coverage alone with her every move, thought/feeling and bowel movement was enough to make me go from feeling sympathetic to questioning her motives. There were obvious problems in this relationship starting with her talking him into marrying her (also something covered in RHBH).

  19. Seal Team 6 says:

    @Dani —

    Exactly. She can be a grifter who is also an abuse victim and survivor. It’s like an either/or thing for some people.

  20. cmc says:

    Victim-blaming is so sad 🙁 I don’t watch any Real Housewives shows, but just because she seems (is?) unlikeable on camera doesn’t mean bad things couldn’t happen to her. If I were the former wife of an abuser and found people discussing him like a victim (“Oh, the pressure from Real Housewives was too much for Russell”, “the show is to blame”, etc) I would also make sure people remembered who the victim *really* was in this situation.

  21. Rebecks says:

    The x’s are used for plastic surgery procedures, typically, and any doctor who didn’t report the abuse would be breaking the law by not reporting to the authorities. Why would any MD take that risk? I think the bruising is a result of a filler injection (she had filler injected into her lower orbital area during season 1), and this photo is related to a future plastic surgery or injectable procedure, like Botox etc. It is common for patients to have bruising after receiving injectables in sensitive areas.
    ET conspicuously photo shopped the x’s after purchasing the photo, why would they do that?
    I suggest everyone read the Daily beast article by Diane Diamond if you’re still buying what Taylor’s selling (literally).
    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/09/15/russell-taylor-armstrong-s-business-associates-friends-on-financial-legal-troubles.html
    It’s quite an expose, Taylor is a fraud. She is also capitalizing on her husband’s suicide (see radar online .com where she is selling “exclusives” daily, and began doing so no sooner than 2 days after RA died).

  22. wunderkindt says:

    There’s real abuse and then there’s the RHOBHs version of it where someone sells thier post-lasik eye surgery pics for $125,000.

    If money werent a big motive re this, I’d be more inclined to take Taylor more seriously.

    Because Taylor’s selling pics and getting paid to tout abuse as ‘entertainment’ on tv shows/ET interviews, I cant trust what she says. There’s a clear motive on Taylor’s part to exploit ‘abuse’ for cold hard cash!

  23. lilibet says:

    I’m not doubting that Taylor was a victim of domestic abuse but those photo’s do not look like a photo of someone who has been hit in the eye. There is no significant swelling and no bloodshot eye even though that’s one heck of a bruise.

    I’m no Dr but it doesn’t add up to me.

  24. bagladey says:

    I stopped watching RHOBH before Russell’s suicide because I just couldn’t stand Taylor.

  25. Lisa says:

    Oh really Brandi, poor old women confused,loose and left by her hot ex husband because she has no class.

  26. Tierra says:

    Those x’s are marks from a plastic surgeon, she could have been having some sort of eye lift or filler in that area. Im not saying she wasnt abused but those pictures are suspicious to say the least. It is also possible to have bruising in one area instead of both eyes for PS, depends on the procedures.
    I just dont believe anything out of her mouth, I think she’s exploiting the situation for her own financial gain.
    I have nothing but sympathy for any victim of DV but Im not convinced that is the case with these pictures.
    That article by Diane Diamond is pretty strait forward and confirms what Ive always believed about her before even reading it. Taylor knows her 15 minutes will soon be over so she’s milking this for all its worth, just like they scammed so many ppl out of their money.
    Sorry but I have no sympathy and i dont believe a word out of her mouth, even with pictures. Its funny how some of them have the plastic surgery marks on them but then when ppl caught on to what those marks are really from, they photo shopped them out of some of the pics they sold to tab sites.
    Even if she was a true victim of DM, that doesnt absolve her from the scamming and criminal activity she committed against so many people. Look at all the people who have lost a lot of money b/c of these two, my sympathies goes to them.

  27. Jackson says:

    IDK, I just cannot stand this woman. She is about as fake as fake can be which is why I think some people question the photos. And selling them is just unseemly. I hope her 15 minutes are up soon and she takes her fake ass back to wherever she came from and tries to make some kind of a real life for her child. Won’t happen though – I expect to see her out soon trying to snag an old wealthy man so she can live her BH lifestyle. Good luck to her child.

  28. Kim says:

    I would never cover for an abuser but how do we know the photos are from Russell abusing her? If she was a victim i feel for her but im not sure she in fact was. He isnt here to defend himself and she is a lying, gold digging piece of trash so i for one will not assume the photos are from him abusing her. She has been PROVEN to be a liar in many instances; her background, etc. and i dont recall Russell lying or being caught lying at least. She has had a ton of plastic surgery so whose to say her black eye wasnt from botox or an eye lift? Ive gotten a black eye from minor car accident. None of us where there and no one has said they saw Russell abuse her so im not rushing to any conclusions.

    She should have spoken up before he died for her daughters sake. Waiting & doing it now after his death is such a stab in back to his kids.

  29. Kim says:

    Just the fact that she “sold” her story and photos instead of doing it for free to help other abuse victims doesnt play well with me regardless if she was abused or not.

  30. Rudypatudie says:

    She lies all the time, and has been caught in many lies over the years. The woman lies. Period.

    Plus, if she threatened to go all ” Oaklahoma ” on Kim across a fine dining table in a restaurant, she wouldn’t have stood up to Russell?

    And why does a deceased man still have a lawyer representing him? I thought there was no money? Who’s paying Russels lawyer?

    It’s all too bizarre.

    The x marks make it all quite suspicious. Hope it’s all sorted out.

  31. Kelly says:

    Thank you #12 and #21, you basically made the points I was going to. And we do not know she was the victim of horrific abuse btw. Some can assume based on her allegations but again we do not know. But I like the posts of 12 and 21.

  32. skilo says:

    @Lisa”Oh really Brandi, poor old women confused,loose and left by her hot ex husband because she has no class.”

    My you are desperate to hate on someone who isn’t even the topic of this post. You’re also full of lies and or misconceptions. Eddie didn’t leave Brandi, she threw him out, she’s not old, and she has more class than that slut her husband screwed around with ever will.
    I really don’t know what the truth is concerning the abuse Taylor supposedly suffered, but I know she is despicable a to me. I just feel so awful for her daughter. She is an innocent child who has lost her father and whose mother is (abuse victim or not) a gross fame whore who really seems mentally unbalanced.

  33. the original bellaluna says:

    I hope Russell has saved a seat in hell for his lawyer.

    Anyone who has ever had surgery knows that the nurse hands you a pen and tells you to mark the correct body part. Duh.

  34. OXA says:

    When Russel died so did any child support she may have gotten. She probably sold the photos to help get her finances stabilized for the time being.

  35. Cerulean says:

    I think it’s horrible to cash in on domestic violence. The man is dead. Why do this now? Why smear the father of your child. It’s obvious Russell had some mental health issues and suicide is just plain sad.
    I’m not saying he didn’t hit her but what if they were hitting each other? It just isn’t right to do when the person can’t defend himself.

  36. Belle Epoch says:

    Funny, bellalluna, but when my daughter had surgery I marked the correct wrist. (We’ve all heard the horror stories.) The nurse took some alcohol and scrubbed it off, saying, “They HATE that!”

    Guess it’s different for each doctor?

  37. HannahF says:

    I just want to reiterate—if you live in Los Angeles County and are a victim of domestic violence help is available. Every Superior Court courthouse in LA County has a domestic violence clinic staffed by volunteer attorneys. They are there to help people obtain temporary restraining orders. It is not need based—anyone can get help. The paperwork is about 30 pages long which is daunting even for someone without trauma in their life.

    Volunteering at The Domestic Violence Project is one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.

  38. WillyNilly says:

    For the people who are posting:

    STOP BLAMING THE VICTIM while simultaneously saying ‘I won’t ever watch that show’….seriously?? How can you even have an opinion on whether she’s a victim or not if you’re not educating yourself on this before you type? Move on…leave this thread for the pathetic souls who are following it. Like moi.

    And giiiiirl, that Daily Beast article was crazy. Read it last night…she’s a pretty transparent little minx, isn’t she?

  39. Violet says:

    These photos seem fishy to me, especially since she’s trying to profit from them. After all, wouldn’t a doctor be legally obligated to report abuse to the police?

    In any case, whatever went on between them, the bottom line is that her husband committed suicide and she should be concentrating on her daughter’s welfare at this point instead of trying to capitalize on the tragedy.

  40. Francesca says:

    Call me cold but the show isn’t that hard to watch b/c of Taylor’s domestic problems at least. Clearly the wheels were coming off in her marriage for awhile. I think the reality show didn’t help stabilize anything for them but it isn’t the cause of his death.

    I’m sure he did beat the crap out of her and she like a dumb ass, stayed and took it.

  41. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    I’ve never seen the show, so I don’t know how much I’m supposed to hate each character, but…

    I don’t know where this candy ass fool lawyer went to law school, but if the only argument that education gave him was ‘I didn’t personally witness the events that took place years before I had ever heard of these people, the only conclusion is…your mother wears army boots. Maybe he was one of those 2008 third grade shout out kids.

    How in the shit can a person be a lawyer and actually think that the only crimes that occur are the ones that are reported? Maybe a victim has been so terrorized that the fear, the brainwashing, the self-loathing that is taught and that arises from those traumatic circumstances got in the way. Maybe the person doing the abusing got in the way.

    When I was little, my mother and I were riding the bus home from somewhere when the heavy downpour turned downright sinister. When we were approaching our stop, we saw a woman prepare the stroller in front of her. Holding the door open for her, my mother noticed she didn’t have an umbrella, so when the she asked this lady where she was going she decided it was close enough to just walk her home and send me up to our apartment. It took a bit of time–though she was just across the street, ‘just across the street’ was at the bottom of a hill. Lucky it was late spring, I’m Canadian. Oh, the times I’ve had smashing into trees after the latest ice storm. Then I moved to Toronto to the bottom of a much steeper hill and an even more unresponsive landlord. Hm. Over the next year, we landed on nodding terms, but as her english was like that of so many other new immigrants, a conversation was powered more by determination than by syntax. Summer of the following year drew a clearer picture. She had come from Vietnam and had been running ever since from her husband, a sociopathic drunk if you’d ever seen one. She would hide, escape, take refuge–eventually landing in a city that no one knew and into and apartment at the bottom of a hill where her mother lived. Recruiting anyone interested in aiding a husband and father or taking back what was his for a different crowd, he tracked her down again. Mother, grandmother and young son were all at some when he burst in, and the struggle ensued. How much stronger are you than your son-in-law? Pulling at opposite ends of the woman, her mother worked to drag her daughter into the apartment, and he out. It was starting to get loud, and it being about two in the morning, tenants weren’t as alert as they would have been. Didn’t matter. The Good Samaritan isn’t always the Victorious Samaritan and the softest heart can’t communicate with three people screaming in Vietnamese out of fear, distress, anger and pain. It doesn’t matter you speak if you believe yourself to have been charged with the responsibility of communicating with a psycho. And the cops were called, but they can only go so quickly. There was intervention, but if a man is fixed on stabbing his wife to death in front of her son and mother, whatever the Shit Patrol decides she must have done to deserve is the final cherry.

    *

    Rather than slavishly not speak of the dead, why not live a life that does not compell people to do that? He had a whole life of defending himself with his fists. If you’re going to say that a woman invited abuse because she didn’t leave, why doesn’t someone say, ‘hey, he was a serial abuser, why didn’t he ever get help? If the pressure of television is too much?’

    If that lawyer had a nickel for every unreported crime, he’s have enough to buy his soul back from Satan.

  42. Lee says:

    The photos did seem a little more Nip/Tuck other than bitchslap.

    I don’t really remember Miss Taylor being afraid of a little knife fight for “self-esteem”.

  43. olcranky says:

    @ Jo Mama – the reason Russell’s lawyer said if this was accurate it would have been reported is because she went to the hospital and had to have a surgical procedure to repair the damage. Hospital staff are required by law to report incidents of DV, including anything that appears to possibly be the result of DV even when the victim denies abuse has occurred.

    DV is always wrong but that does not mean every woman who says she’s a victim of it is (just like not every woman who claims she was raped was really raped). There are many people who will, very conveniently and opportunistically, lie about these accusations because anyone who refutes them ends up being accused of blaming the victim or tolerating abuse (especially when the accuser is a woman and the alleged perpetrator is a man). These people do a greater disservice to the genuine victims than people seem to understand and they are the reason real victims are often not believed.

    In this particular case, Taylor’s public behavior over the past year or so leaves way too many questions for me to just accept she is telling the truth. Especially since the accusations have gotten exponentially worse since Russel died and the way in which she’s getting her story out.

  44. Annie_Grey says:

    Emotional harassment from the lawyer? Let it go, man. Just shows what kind of people Russel trusted.

    Francesca-that’s not fair. It’s not as simple as just leaving. Look what Russel’s lawyer is doing now. This is probably one of the things Taylor was afraid of, that kept her from leaving for so long.

    Willy Nilly- Right on.

  45. Str8Shooter says:

    @Jules: I second that, but make that an UGLY famewhore. Skank.

  46. Annie says:

    Unfortunately I think this incident(s) hits a nerve because while the evidence of her abuse is irrefutable (ex-wives testimony, Russels own words) but Taylors actions are so calculated and mercenary that it makes people uncomfortable to side with her…I think the reality is there are no truly evil people and no perfect victims it’s typically an imperfect blend.

    • Carissa says:

      Thank you Annie. This is by far the most intelligent and insightful comment made on this blog. People, too often, want to just see white-and-black when the truth is life is complicated. What’s obvious to me is that two unstable people met and formed a relationship that was, consequently, explosively unstable. I will have to say though that I am surprised at the lack of compassion and understanding

  47. LeeLoo says:

    I have no doubt that Taylor was abused by her husband. However, just because she was abused doesn’t mean I think she is a good person.

    Like anything else in life there are people with morals and people without. There are people with a conscience and people who have none. Taylor was abused but she also has some sketchy morals and is lacking a conscience. Taylor didn’t deserve to be abused…NO ONE ever deserves to be abused. However, that abuse can only be used as a cloak for so long to excuse horrible decisions and actions.

  48. Sloane Wyatt says:

    Taylor is a lying grifter. That does not change the facts:

    – Russell was a controlling angry guy on camera.

    – Taylor was completely submissive to him and in hindsight, fearful.

    – TWO of his exes filed abuse charges against him.

    Russell was an abusive piece of sh*t, and Taylor was a totally unsympathetic victim of domestic violence.

  49. Sunny says:

    Unlike many on here who have survived domestic violence situations I am having a lot of trouble with this situation. What bothers me is that she sold the photos and is really capitalizing on his suicide. My ex was a horrific, abusive excuse of a human being who terrorized me for 8 years, stole everything I had and to this day – 2 years later and knowing he is tucked away in jail (unrelated) – I’m still in counseling for PTSD, trying to repair my life, and relearn how to live without being in constant fear. Her story does not inspire, empower or speak to me, and I don’t feel as though it’s bringing positive awareness to domestic violence. The fact of the matter is that although abuse is wrong, obviously, the victim bears the burden because there ARE people who will (and I personally know for a fact) fabricate and exploit parts of their life for any given reason. When there are clear possible motivations it does raise a red flag, and when the victim has a history of lying it becomes more cumbersome. Like the boy who cried wolf. As a survivor, I don’t want to be associated in the same category as this woman – I don’t have a book deal, I couldn’t afford plastic surgery to correct some of the damage done to my face and body, and I did not sign on to a reality show that gave people a free pass into my private life. I CERTAINLY did not sell my photos or even show anyone – not out of shame, but because they are private and serve no purpose outside of a court file. A survivor’s story is his/her own and they are entitled to that, but I personally feel as though this story is a bit shameful and sensational. All this has done is reinforce to many people it’s ok to blame the victim because they have a shady past (and present). If awareness was her intent there are countless other ways she could have achieved this. And if she’s worried about money and that’s why she sold the photos perhaps she should do what myself and millions of other women have done and get a job, swallow your pride and learn to do without. Life isn’t fair, but no matter how bad things are I am grateful everyday I have my health, my family, and my freedom.

  50. Sunny says:

    Unlike many on here who have survived domestic violence situations I am having a lot of trouble with this situation. What bothers me is that she sold the photos and is really capitalizing on his suicide. My ex was a horrific, abusive excuse of a human being who terrorized me for 8 years, stole everything I had and to this day – 2 years later and knowing he is tucked away in jail (unrelated) – I’m still in counseling for PTSD, trying to repair my life, and relearn how to live without being in constant fear. Her story does not inspire, empower or speak to me, and I don’t feel as though it’s bringing positive awareness to domestic violence. The fact of the matter is that although abuse is wrong, obviously, the victim bears the burden because there ARE people who will (and I personally know for a fact) fabricate and exploit parts of their life for any given reason. When there are clear possible motivations it does raise a red flag, and when the victim has a history of lying it becomes more cumbersome. Like the boy who cried wolf. As a survivor, I don’t want to be associated in the same category as this woman – I don’t have a book deal, I couldn’t afford plastic surgery to correct some of the damage done to my face and body, and I did not sign on to a reality show that gave people a free pass into my private life. I CERTAINLY did not sell my photos or even show anyone – not out of shame, but because they are private and serve no purpose outside of a court file. A survivor’s story is his/her own and they are entitled to that, but I personally feel as though this story is a bit shameful and sensational. All this has done is reinforce to many people it’s ok to blame the victim because they have a shady past (and present). If awareness was her intent there are countless other ways she could have achieved this, and if money was her motive she can certainly learn to downgrade her lifestyle and find a respectable job without selling her abuse photos. Life isn’t fair, but no matter how bad things are I am grateful everyday I have my health, my family, and my freedom.

    • Tisha says:

      Well aren’t you the picture of righteousness. Maybe you should get yourself a plaque. I find your self-congratulatory judgmental diatribe more disturbing than anything else I’ve read yet. I would think a victim of abuse would at the very least learned a bit of compassion towards others who may have experienced something similar. I would think you would understand that people deal with things differently. Some crack completely, some survive and some become forged of tougher stuff than they were before. And before anyone slams me, I know the subject well – I don’t feel the need to list the atrocities I’ve experienced in my life either. But I do know one thing – I refuse to judge someone, especially when I can so easily relate to the experience. I do feel disgust at the utter lack of empathy and understanding that seems to be the way most people react to these types of things.

      • Carissa says:

        Amen. Couldn’t have said it better myself. It’s so disappointing and unfortunate that Sunny decided to take bitterness from her experience. Mercy on any other woman who experiences trauma and doesn’t deal with it in Sunny’s prescribed way.

  51. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    I understand the reservations, and I think I might’ve I hadn’t seen the show, so her own odious behaviour isn’t something known to me except on the most rudimentary level. I guess that experience with our neighbour, hearing similar violence in more than one case on the floor of our apartment and my mum plonking onto her bed and calling 911, seeing with a friend in high school, just makes me air on the side of extreme caution. Even when I, other friends, every teacher we’d had ever met, her own parents, worked to her out it didn’t work. A whole network couldn’t make it work. Luckily she got of there but it took a lot of abuse. I don’t know, it was sad. A long time ago, now. She’s fine now.

  52. minnie says:

    Cosign with sunny-
    You said exactly what I’ve been thinking through out this whole tragedy. Just because you (and I, and seal team and Bella Luna, etc) were horrifically abused does not mean that every woman who claims abuse was actually abused. I know a woman who made outrageous and false claims about her ex husband AFTER she lost custody of her child in their divorce. She lied to try to elicit sympathy and win back custody. After having been through very real abuse and (thankfully) lived, I was disgusted that someone could lie about such serious allegations just to benefit themselves financially or otherwise. I think I was angered by it even more so BECAUSE I had experienced DV. What a great disservice that does to the real victims.

    I’m not saying Taylor absolutley did what this woman did. I’m not saying she wasn’t abused. Her ex’s history of abuse is pretty damning. BUT her obvious and extensive lying and manipulating about everything and anything certainly does raise red flags. If you’re going to take Russel’s past abuse allegations into consideration then i think you have to take her past/present lying/manipulating/conning/scamming into account, too. No matter what its just a sad situation all around. No one wins. Especially not that innocent little girl.

  53. Rebecca says:

    Sunny, I agree with every word you’ve written and admire you tremendously.

  54. llel says:

    I wondered because there is no damage to her eye or in the eyeball at all, no broken veins, no bleeding into the eye, which most people will have at least some redness on the sclera when they have been hit that hard, and she has zero, her whites are both clear as a bell,

    and if ANYONE would fake these photos, Shana Hughes would, because her entire existence is fake and a grift, from the word go.

    I am absolutely NOT watching this show this season because the whole thing makes me sick. It should have been thrown out but Bravo ALWAYS makes the wrong decision about things like this, to the point where they could literally have a focus group about what they think is ethical and then just do the opposite of whatever that is and probably hit the nail on the head ethics-wise.

    I had no idea until recently that Russell’s business partner also committed suicide a day prior to Russell’s death. Plus add the evidence that Russell was found with one foot resting on the floor and his body was bruised and scratched and it looks more and more like foul play no matter what the coroner said. Taylor is a sociopath and time will show her true colors…Russell’s family believes there was no suicide and the evidence is pointing in that direction.

    Interesting also that rumors about the state of Kyle Richards’ marriage are starting to hit the press, rumors that only someone very close to them, with knowledge of their sleeping arrangement would know… and *guess who* is living there in Kyle’s house…hmmm, wonder if Taylor is getting paid for those tips as well?

  55. CaramelKiss says:

    Unlike many, I actually HAVE seen the show. I particularly remember Taylor being an advocate/spokesperson against domestic violence as she so clearly mentioned it was something she had experienced earlier in her life. I did find it cold and unfeeling for Russell not to attend her first public speaking engagement speaking out against domestic violence and how much of an inconvenience it was for this event to occur on a night where he had plans. So with that said, I do raise my eyebrows at the whole “innocent victim” role. While she definitely was submissive and had no voice in the marriage and was quite unhappy, I don’t see her staying in it simply for the money because she had a child involved and as she mentioned in her speech, she would never subject an innocent life to the violence that she had to undergo. There are just so many contradictions and at the end of the day, who really knows. I would have however expected her to play up the whole anti DV role as opposed to this shit…IJS.

  56. Amanda says:

    There is something about all of this that just isn’t right. I don’t know if she was abused – if she was then I’m sorry for what she went through. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. However, I don’t like how she is handling the whole situation. She could be cashing in because of money problems…who really knows but Taylor? Didn’t she have her own business? I tend to give her the benefit of the doubt, but I do think from the interviews that I have seen she is a drama queen and is trying to extend her 15 minutes of fame. I also think she has got to stop with the plastic surgery. It’s gotten to the point where I can’t even look at her, so how I can feel sorry for her? She was the one who got herself into this situation – she wanted to pretend she had money she didn’t have and tried to lead a life she couldn’t afford. She spent what money they had frivolously. I mean come on, who spends that kind of money on a kid’s b’day party (and clearly the little girl didn’t even want it)? I think Russell was a control freak and maybe he wasn’t honest about their finances, but I think she is pretty manipulative, too. I know how they edit the shows (isn’t it funny how Camille was the trouble maker last season and has suddenly calmed down this season, now that a new “trouble maker” is on board)? After this week’s episode with Taylor, obviously intoxicated, playing victim to Kyle, Lisa and Kim…and anyone who would listen…I just can’t watch anymore. I feel sorry for the kids who will grow up without a dad. To my knowledge their were never any accusations of abuse towards them. It’s sad.

  57. Chris says:

    a)Russell was a rotten person and a lousy husband (from records and TV)

    b)Taylor CLAIMS she was abused. This picture is way odd looking and there is no police records of the violence. It is her word we are taking for gospel….HER word.

    c)Taylor is a liar and scoundrel at best and it brings into doubt whether she is telling the truth about ANYTHING!

    d)Woman AND men lie about abuse. I was a victim of a spouse that claimed abuse so that she could garner support for her. She did this to balance against the fact that people found out about her own abusive patterns and cheating with other men and women.

    e)There is a time line of photographs (too bad she likes to be in the lime light) that shows no evidence of the reconstructive “surgery” she claimed earlier that she needed.

    In my opinion she is the one that is doing more damage to those who are truly abused by making this into a circus.

    I really wish for her child’s sake she would go away…far away.

  58. Kemo says:

    I think she is lying. No, I am not blaming the victim. I am blaming someone who is making it easy to blame future victims.

    BTW, when I was around 13, my older brother, 22, threw a football “to” me while I was looking another direction. It hit me in the eye. My pictures looked exactly like that.

  59. garvels says:

    I simply do not believe a word this woman says. She loves the victim treatment and she is cashing in on it at the expense of her child’s well being. I am not heartless and I am intimately familiar with DV. I do believe however that she came from a dysfunctional family where she could have witnessed or even been a victim of DV in her childhood. I just am not buying into her story with Russell.

    Bottom line the woman is not well and it is disgusting that BRAVO and other media outlets are cashing in on this whole mess. I watched the RHOBH last season and I refuse to watch this garbage this season. I’m done with the housewives series.

  60. Home Fancy says:

    What the EFF, I know blogs, especially gossip blogs, aren’t known for their journalistic standards… but you need to be saying that he ALLEGEDLY abused her.

    I agree with what Lola said.

    They need to take Taylor off the show next season. She is disgusting. Claiming she didn’t call the cops because she “needed to keep up appearances for the show”, but then selling those pictures, it just doesn’t gel.

    How about how she whined to Kyle last season when Russel went home from her party early… instead of helping her husband and realizing what a dark, dark place he was in? A party is soooo much more important than helping your spouse through his depression. She is a creep. I don’t doubt that if he WAS in anyway physical with her, she wasn’t “Oklahoma on his ass” right back.

  61. cookie says:

    I do believe her story, I don’t know if it’s true therefore I can’t make a judgement call against her. I tuned in the first season of Beverly Hills House Wives. And even though the scenes were edited you could tell her husband was not social or nice to anyone. It’s sad to hear that he had to take his own life. We don’t know why he did it we could only speculate. And as far as the money goes we don’t know what her finances are. Maybe she desperately needed it I’m curious to see what her next step will be. May God bless her and her beautiful daughter, hopefully all her problems will be resolved.

  62. Moon says:

    First of all both of Russell,s exs said there was no abuse. How with cameras following and all the other housewifes never see any bruises. Taylor is a drama queen. Any dr or nurse must report suspious injurys wht they did not cause it never happened. Taylor just wants attention, she is falling apart because of her lies and spending money like a rockafella 50,000 on kids parties her background is shady she is a liar and she knows karma is gonna make her rot in hell for what she did to russell all so she could be on tv we dont want to see her on tv she is ulgy inside and out and those lips ugggg gross

  63. Tisha says:

    I am so FRIGGIN sick of the utter lack of compassion that people show, the incredibly unfair unilateral judgements people place on others based on little to no information.
    This woman did not “fake” anything. I wish the masses would stop perpetuating cliched mentalities and realize that trauma and abuse are internalized and coped with in a wide array of ways…All of us are flawed and none of us have the right to cast stones, especially not knowing WHAT a person has experienced. Reading user generated comments like the majority here, usually leaves me disgusted to be part of this society. Shame on those who completely lack empathy and have the audacity and grandiose egos to think that they are entitled to JUDGE so summarily.

  64. ticked off reader says:

    Check out the abuse photos. (I’m not posting them here again.) If she had plastic surgery, she would have had bruises around both eyes and not just around one eye.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~
    REALLY?
    Let me know when you start writing about things you freaking know about. I had a busted orbital floor and had to have reconstructive surgery. I have an implant forever holding my left eye out of the socket. For your information…I had bruising in ONE eye.
    One eye after the initial injury.
    One eye after the surgery.
    Please don’t write about crap you don’t know about.

  65. dee says:

    I watched the entire season. Taylor spent the entire season talking about her relationship and getting anyone that would listen involved. For such a “private matter” she sure seemed to bask in the attention it provided her.