Diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins'widow stands to have her fortune slimmed down thanks to lawsuit

TheAtkinswidow's wallet stands to lose some weight, thanks to a lawsuit by her current husband's former mistress.

Ildiko Vargaclaims thatAlexis Mersentes, whomVeronica Atkinswed in 2007, distributed racy private photos of Varga without her consent.

Originally, Varga's suit named only Mersentes as a defendant - but an amended complaint now moves to include Atkins herself, on the grounds that one of her employees disseminated the photos and that she"knew or should have known"what he was up to. Varga is seeking unspecified damages likely to total over a million dollars.

In papers filed inPalm Beach CountyCircuit Court, Varga alleges Mersentes strung her along while courting Atkins. He called Varga his"true love,"she claims, whereas Atkins was his"biggest score."

"This time I'm not going for the crumbs,"he allegedly explained."I'm going for the whole pie."

The suit alleges that during their relationship, Mersentes took nude photographs of Varga without her consent and later threatened to make them public. He also"either recklessly or intentionally"gave Atkins' butlerVincent Fermina camera with the images. Fermin then allegedly distributed the images to other parties, purportedly to protect his employer from Mersentes.

A rep for Mersentes said in a statement:"This filing is utterly without legal merit. We believe these false and scurrilous allegations are intended merely to harass Mr. and Mrs. Mersentes. The allegations are nothing new. They have been put forward in two previous lawsuits, in both of which Mrs. Mersentes has prevailed."

Atkins' romance with Mersentes looked sordid to some long before the suit over nudie pics. Diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins died in 2004, leaving a $600 million fortune to Veronica, and Mersentes has a well-established taste for wealthy old ladies. Previous brides include the lateDoris Dixon, aTexas Oil and Gasheir, andLaura Mentzelopoulos, the Perrier andChateau Margauxheir. In a 2007 lawsuit to keep Mersentes away from Atkins' money, the three trustees who oversee the inheritance called Mersentes"an opportunist, skilled in the art of seduction."

Varga's filing is similarly blunt: It depicts Mersentes as"tantamount to a world-class gigolo"who uses"sex, lies"  and"misrepresentation"to dupe dowagers.

The court papers chart Varga's journey from a"relationship of love, attention and eventual matrimony"(or so she hoped) with Mersentes to growing disgust with his"sociopathic conduct."

According to the suit,"it eventually became evident to the plaintiff that not only was Mersentes playing Atkins for a fool, but in fact the plaintiff, too."

Contact Gatecrasher: Frank DiGiacomo:fdigiacomo@nydailynews.com
Carson Griffith:cgriffith@nydailynews.com
Molly Fischer:mfischer@nydailynews.com

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