Althea Eaton's lawsuit against Joseline Hernandez still moving forward

"I saw the whole four hours," Althea said in an exclusive interview at  Benzino's Hip-Hop Weekly offices this week. (Professional, she goes by Althea Heart.) "I had my wine and popcorn. It was like a movie. She didn't answer one question."

Althea, who runs a property management company but aspires to be a singer and entertainer, doesn't take back her accusations that Joseline was high on crack that day, which she believes led to the rampage. (Joseline went after two other women that day as well.)

"We're in America," said Althea. "You can't put your hands on somebody like that. She did hit me She put her hands on me. I was hurt."

She also didn't appreciate being called a "whore" on the show. "I am a businesswoman," Althea declared.

The lawsuit also alleges that Joseline and Stevie J had “instigated numerous public conflicts” against Benzino and by March and April, “began making threats of physical violence against Plaintiff Eaton.”

According to TMZ, which got a copy of the deposition, Joseline admitted what everyone already knows: much of what happens on the show is manufactured to a degree.

“The reality TV show showcases a lot of who we are not and I say that because it’s just, like, you never know what happens in a reality TV [show]. They’ll showcase your music, they’ll showcase certain things, but that’s not who Joseline Hernandez is,” she explained.

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

Althea said she isn't sure why she and Benzino were given their walking papers. (Creator Mona Scott Young has not said.) But she believes it was pure favoritism, that Joseline and her supposed husband Stevie J are perceived to be the reasons why "Love and Hip Hop Atlanta" is the most popular show on VH1. So if they wanted Althea and Benzino out, that's what Young had to do to keep them happy.

"I don't think the 'Love & Hip Hop' producers liked me," said Althea. She said she was considered for full-time cast status but was ultimately not given the honors.

She met Benzino in November, 2013 and fell in love quickly. They were engaged last year. They do not have a wedding date but just moved in together.

"He's always had my back," she said of Benzino. "I wasn't going to be played like all the other women on the show. Benzino was the only one who showed respect to his girl. He didn't go for all the B.S."

She said he wanted an independent woman with her own career and money and she fit the bill.

During the season, she admitted to briefly sleeping with Stevie J before meeting Benzino. The story line last year focused on Stevie J lying about the situation to Joseline, who ultimately heard it was true from others. Althea said 15 years earlier, as a teenager, she had also slept with Nikko Smith, Mimi Faust's lover.

And how about this for weird? She said before she even knew about Mimi's sex tape with Nikko and before she began dating Benzino, Nikko asked Althea to do a sex tape. She flat out said no.

Althea said she has an EP called "Controversy" coming out next month. It will feature love songs. There are no songs dissing Joseline. That's not her style, she said.

Credit: Rodney Ho

Credit: Rodney Ho

She wasn't nearly as upset leaving the show as Benzino, who had been on the program since season one. (Season four is now in production.)

Benzino considered Stevie J to be his best friend and enjoyed being on the show. "He took it really hard," she said. "He never thought a girl would come between them."

She and Benzino are shooting an episode of "Being" for Centric starting this week. It will be an hour featuring their lives together in love. It won't be focused on the trashy drama of "Love and Hip Hop."

She hopes they can ultimately get their own reality show.

Althea mused that "Love and Hip Hop" has very little love or hip hop, noting how few of the cast members actually record music.

"They should call it 'Bankruptcy and Rehab.' "