Yahoo Movies Makeup Artist to Stars Locked in Ugly Fight With Bridal Org
This brings a whole new meaning to bridal blue.
A Long Island bridal resource organization has filed a lawsuit against a popular makeup artist, claiming that she falsely associated herself with the brand and launched a “defamatory campaign to damage the business” after asking for a correction.
The lawsuit, filed in Suffolk County Supreme Court on Monday, also alleges that Jessica Lauren Pujia wrongfully accused Brides of Long Island of harassment—and that the group’s staffers physically beat her several times, resulting in a black-and-blue eye.
Pujia, whose celebrity clients have included Real Housewives of New York’s Ramona Singer and Real Housewives of New Jersey’s Kim DePaola, insists that she has the receipts to prove Brides of Long Island is harassing her. She is planning to file her own lawsuit against the group and its CEO, Heather Cunningham.
This Bride’s Dream Wedding Was Upstaged by Bloody Murdaugh Trial
“[Cunningham] can sue me all she wants. I have evidence and she’s an asshole,” Pujia told The Daily Beast on Monday. “They bashed me on Facebook and Instagram. I kept all the messages and filed three police reports as I have been assaulted.”
Suffolk County Police told The Daily Beast they could not immediately comment on whether Pujia filed the police reports. In a statement, Brides of Long Island denied the allegations and said that while it is not their policy to comment on “ongoing litigation” the group does “not take defamatory statements or false allegations of wrongdoing lightly.”
The mayhem surrounding one of the most popular bridal platforms in New York began in February when, the lawsuit claims, Pujia published on social media that she and her makeup business were the recipients of the Brides of Long Island 2023 “Diamond Award.” Since its inception in 2016, Brides of Long Island clients vote among the approximately 240 wedding vendors to bestow awards in various categories.
The lawsuit says Pujia was not among the recipients of the 2023 honor—despite her Feb. 25, 2023, posts on social media which showed a Brides of Long Island logo with the caption, “I got another award.”
The bridal group says it attempted to contact Pujia that same day to inform her “of her unauthorized use” of their trademark. In response, the lawsuit states, Pujia blocked Brides of Long Island from communicating with her on Instagram.
The next day, Cunningham tried to message Pujia directly—to which the makeup artist allegedly responded “Go fuck yourself.” Pujia, however, insisted to The Daily Beast on Monday that the bridal group sent her an email “months ago and said I won the award.”
“I don’t even know what it means—I don’t advertise with them!” she added. “So they contacted me saying I’m lying. I said, ‘Are you kidding me you sent the award’ so I looked back at my emails and can’t find the one where she sent it.”
Pujia acknowledged that she did block Cunningham and the group’s Instagram after she was allegedly harassed. She also noted that Brides of Long Island made a public announcement on its Instagram and Facebook accounts, noting that Pujia was not an associated vendor and had not received the “Diamond Award.”
“Who blasts someone on [Facebook] when they send you the award,” Pujia said. “I don’t even care. I took it down I have plenty.”
The lawsuit alleges that Pujia began her campaign of harsh retaliation after the bridal group’s post that called her out.
“I’m taking down your business… watch out,” Pujia allegedly wrote in the email sent via the Brides of Long Island website. Later the same day, the lawsuit claims, Pujia asked her followers to “[e]veryone please report brides of Long Island page as they are bashing me and sending multiple girls to my home threatening me texting me emailing me crazy shit.”
Pujia made several other online threats against Brides of Long Island over several days, including that they “messed with the wrong girl” and going after Cunningham directly, the lawsuit states.
“See you in court bitch,” Pujia wrote to Cunningham in one message. Cunningham eventually told Pujia to stop contacting her—but the makeup artist continued, the lawsuit alleges. (Pujia denies that Cunningham asked her to stop contracting her.)
The saga took a darker turn on March 3 when, the lawsuit states, Pujia wrote on Instagram that she had “been assaulted by someone” from Brides of Long Island and that she planned to sue.
Soon after, the lawsuit notes, Brides of Long Island and Cunningham sent Pujia a cease and desist letter, but two days later she posted photos of her injured right eye on Facebook.
Pujia told The Daily Beast that she was attacked three times and that she was examined by EMTs after she called for an ambulance to her home. She said she was going to the doctor on Monday afternoon and that she is “in pain” and is having trouble eating and sleeping after she was hit with “a pipe and a bat.”
The Brides of Long Island insist that Pujia is fabricating her allegations with “malicious intent” and the group is seeking punitive damages. Pujia said she is confident she will prevail in the ligation—and wants to take down Brides of Long Island.
“This is not a joke,” she added.
-Justin Rohrlich contributed to this report.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here
Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.
Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.
