Former model Janet Bedin sues New York man Vito Verni, claiming they had sex up to 10 times a day. Photo / Getty / Facebook
Former model Janet Bedin sues New York man Vito Verni, claiming they had sex up to 10 times a day. Photo / Getty / Facebook
A former model from the US is suing a man in his 80s who she was in an on-and-off relationship with after she claimed he persuaded her to ditch her career and move into his home.
The former Wilhelmina model also claimed he demanded sex 10 times a day, according to the Supreme Court law suit.
Janet Bedin, 68, claims Vito Verni, 84, pulled an emotional bait-and-switch between the beginning of 2019 and end of 2021 “when they lived together as a couple” in his Westchester mansion, the suit says.
Bedin is now suing Verni for US$80 million, which she claims defamation, fraudulent inducement, harassment and illegal eviction, according to court papers.
According to the suit, the accomplished career woman was duped by Verni who swept her off her feet with promises of love and luxury.
She says she even gave up her dog because Verni had a cat. She also claims she worked like a horse.
“Plaintiff was to be 100 per cent his caregiver. He meant for plaintiff to be available for all his sexual needs, to be his escort, do his laundry, cook his meals. [It turned out to mean sexual intercourse, at times up to 10 times a day],” the suit says.
Over the years, Bedin “developed an exciting career very well respected by executives and government leaders, travelling back and forth from New York to Italy”, the suit says.
From 1991 to 1995, she served as executive director of the New York State Economic office for Italy and Spain under former Governor Mario Cuomo. She served again in that post from 2015 through 2018.
“In that capacity, plaintiff had the honour of meeting Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, the President and the Prime Minister of Italy, the US Ambassador to the Vatican, and many others … [who she] continues to count as her friends,” the suit says.
Bedin and Verni had been “on and off” lovers for decades.
Verni “never wore a wedding ring and started to kiss” Bedin in her apartment, “leading to a long, intimate relationship” that has been on and off since 1976, the suit says.
Bedin “broke off” with Verni several times, but the married man “continued to pursue” her, the complaint reads.
In 2018 Verni called the former model to tell her his wife had died and was “now single”. He then asked her out.
Former model Janet Bedin sues New York man Vito Verni, claiming they had sex up to 10 times a day. Photo / Getty / Facebook
“Soon thereafter, [Verni] pressured, cajoled, induced” Bedin to leave New York City and move in with him at his six-bedroom, six-bathroom estate “and no longer be part of the work force”, the suit charges.
He told her he wanted to be with her “100% of the time” and asked her to “just focus on him”, the suit alleges.
According to Bedin, he promised to cover the bills of her unwell brother and vowed “we will travel, be [at] his club, socialise with his friends, go to museums, take wine classes together”.
But once Bedin moved in, “the relationship changed”, the suit says, charging Verni became controlling and verbally and physically abusive.
It also claims he “fraudulently induced to give up her career”.
Verni will fight the “baseless lawsuit”.
In court papers pertaining to the eviction, Verni called Bedin’s claims a “shakedown” and said “we socialised a few days a week and nothing more”.
Verni’s lawyer, Eric Grayson: “Ms Bedin’s baseless lawsuit is just one more attempt to harass Mr Verni. Ms Bedin filed almost the exact same suit in Westchester County Supreme Court and last month it was dismissed by Justice Zuckerman on all counts.”
Verni has obtained 4 orders of protection against Bedin and at the last hearing, Justice Horowitz stated, “Madame, you really need to understand, you’re going to end up in jail and I’m shocked that you haven’t already. It has to stop.”
