Montgomery County Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Michael Darby
Montgomery County will not prosecute Monument Realty founder Michael Darby over assault accusations made last month.
Prosectors Thursday dropped the charges against Darby, including second-degree assault and fourth-degree sexual contact, citing insufficient evidence, the Washington Post reports.
Darby was accused of groping a cameraman on Bravo's "Real Housewives of Potomac" during a Sept. 1 filming of the reality show. Darby's wife, Ashley Darby, stars on the show and he appears frequently. A spokesperson for the Montgomery County States Attorney's Office told the Post there were no witnesses who saw the incident.
“Our good name and reputation have been upheld through the abandonment of this case by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office," Darby said in a statement. It is unfortunate that high profile people are often sought out as targets, and in this situation, someone tried to take advantage of me."
Darby founded Monument Realty in 1998 and owns Clarendon restaurant Oz in partnership with his wife. Monument has developed several multifamily and office buildings throughout the D.C. area. It is currently working on a 69-unit condo project in Shaw and a 171-unit condo project in Capitol Riverfront.
UPDATE, OCT. 8, 8:30 P.M. ET: This story has been updated to include a statement from Darby.
