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Chicago Men: 'Real Housewives Of New Jersey' Cast Members Attacked Us

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Two Chicago men are filing a lawsuit claiming that they were attacked by three male cast members from the show, "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," while vacationing in the Caribbean.

The Chicago law firm Corboy & Demetrio announced plans Monday to file lawsuits in New York and Miami on behalf of Adolfo Arreola and Jason Gomez. They were allegedly attacked at the Hard Rock Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Lisa Fielding reports

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The "Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast and production staff were in the Dominican Republic to film the third season of the Bravo reality show. Attorneys say the melee erupted after one of the housewives, Teresa Giudice, sprayed champagne into the eyes of Arreola's mother-in-law, Yolanda Martinez.

Afterward, Joe Giudice, the husband of Teresa Giudice; Albert Manzo, the husband of "Real Housewife" Caroline Manzo, and their son Christopher Manzo allegedly attacked Arreola and Gomez in a nightclub at the hotel. They allegedly knocked the Chicago men to the floor and began punching, kicking and jumping on them, attorneys alleged.

Arreola's arm was broken and had to be surgically repaired when he returned to Chicago, and he is out from his job as a University of Illinois at Chicago police officer while he rehabilitates his wrist, attorneys said.

"They just started punching me, beating me up," Arreola said. "They put me on the floor, they stomped on my face a couple of times. I was trying to cover my face."

Gomez's leg was broken and he suffered torn ligaments in his knee. He had to undergo extensive surgery to repair his knee, and attorneys say it might be years before he can return to work as a union electrician.

Attorneys say after the attack – which may have been caught on videotape – the Hard Rock Hotel refused to call police, and that Arreola and Gomez's passports were confiscated and not returned until they signed a release of claims written by attorneys flown in on behalf of "The Real Housewives."

Out of fear for their safety, and needing to get back to their families and get medical care, they ended up signing the release, attorneys said. But Corboy and Demetrio founding partner Thomas Demetrio calls the release form a "nullity," since they were forced to sign the document under duress.

"I was scared for my life," Arreola said. "If they had told me to chop off my finger, I would have given my finger to get out of there."

"Jason and Adolfo had a dream vacation turned into a nightmare," Demetrio said in a news release. "What was supposed to be a relaxing family vacation suddenly turned into a dreadful experience due to thuggery and a sham follow-up investigation."

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" haw has been on the air since 2009, and Teresa Giudice and Caroline Manzo are among the original cast members. When the third season of the show debuted in May, its premiere attracted 2.87 million viewers – the best single night in the history of the Bravo network, according to Entertainment Weekly.

There was no comment about the lawsuit from the reality show production company or from the hotel.

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