‘RHOA’ Alum Peter Thomas Heads to Criminal Trial, Accused of Assaulting Female Patron of His Restaurant
Not many husbands of Housewives franchises make the news — unless they are The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum Peter Thomas. The serial entrepreneur was often at odds with his ex-wife Cynthia Bailey’s co-stars. And his business decisions were often questioned. Now, he’s made headlines again after a restaurant patron sued him for physical assault.
Peter Thomas is accused of assaulting a female guest at his restaurant
There was an alleged altercation at Thomas’ Downtown Baltimore Harbor restaurant, Bar One. The Baltimore Banner reports that in March 2022, Chanel Williams alleges she was in the restaurant with her friends and referenced Thomas as inebriated. Thomas reportedly heard Williams’ remarks in the same restaurant area and became upset about it.
Thomas reportedly approached the woman, got in her face, and put his hands around her neck. He was charged with battery in the second degree, a misdemeanor, and can include a fine of up to $2,500 and 10 years in prison.
During testimony, Williams’ friend claims she had some sort of romantic relationship with Thomas leading up to the incident in question, as The Baltimore Banner reports. Thomas admits that his behavior was “downright inappropriate.”
As it turns out, Williams is the niece of Tammy Rivera, a Love & Hip Hop alum and estranged wife of Waka Flocka.
The ‘RHOA’ alum has had legal issues tied to his businesses before
Thomas is infamous for having business issues. Fans remember RHOA often featured his popular Bar One lounge in Atlanta . At one point, the bar and Bailey’s modeling agency were on the same property. However, Bailey had to switch locations due to the foreclosed dual property.
Thomas broke the news to Bailey in a scene on the show. He alleges he was making regular payments to the landlord of the building, but the landlord was not making sufficient payments to the bank for the property’s mortgage.
He claimed he attempted to work out an agreement with the bank and even showed them proof of his payments to the landlord, but the bank wouldn’t budge. As a result, both properties were foreclosed on. He promised to open a new version of Bar One in an up-and-coming area of Atlanta.
His ex-wife sued him over a business loan for his restaurant
According to Michelle ATLien Brown of StraightFromTheA.com, Bailey loaned Thomas money to purchase the new building. She told ESSENCE in 2017 amid their split: “[Regarding Peter] we actually have unfinished business. I’m his partner at Bar One Atlanta. We’re building it out now. This was a project that we started while we were together, and we kind of put it on hold while we were kind of not liking each other so much.”
The goal was the renovate the space and reopen. Simultaneously, Thomas opened a similar lounge in Charlotte, North Carolina, Miami, Florida, and eventually one in Baltimore, Maryland. The latter has also been featured on The Real Housewives of Potomac.
Court documents reveal that Bailey filed a lawsuit against Thomas to collect the $170,000 she says she contributed to the building. It appears that Bailey’s name is on the deed of the building, and the building is now in foreclosure. The lawsuit was eventually settled, and Thomas never opened a new location in Atlanta.
