Jim Marchese, the former "Real Housewives of New Jersey" star who plans to sue Virgin Airlines for $100 million over his arrest for domestic violence at Los Angeles International Airport, says he considered $500 million -- and would have given most of it to men who are falsely accused of being wife-beaters.

In a joint interview with his wife Amber with NJ Advance Media, Jim blames a liberal culture too quick to cry domestic violence for his arrest last month for allegedly grabbing his wife Amber by the neck and threatening her. Prosecutors declined to pursue charges.

Jim suspects that a flight attendant who saw him snuggling with his wife before takeoff misinterpreted their interaction.

"It was a delusional hyper-vigilant psycho liberal from California who probably isn't used to a man and a woman touching each other," he says. "In my opinion, only someone who is extremely oversensitive to domestic violence, who is not accustomed to the traditional relationship would make such an outrageous allegation ... The uber-liberal turns everything into domestic violence. Domestic violence is their buzz word, next to wanting drugs."

Jim, who lives in Colts Neck with his wife and four children, wants to hold Virgin Airlines responsible for lasting damage to his reputation. Marchese acts as an expert witness in cases of high-end mortgage-backed securities fraud, and he says the arrest undermines his credibility on the stand.

"What Virgin America did wiped that career out," Jim says. "I can guarantee since I've been back, I haven't gotten a single call for a job, and it's not hard to figure out why."

Virgin America did not respond to a request for comment from NJ Advance Media.

"No matter what we say, Jim is still being labeled as a wife beater," Amber says. "They're looking at me differently. I don't want people looking at me like I'm some sort of victim."

"I probably could have gone for $500 million if I could have done it with a straight face," Jim says. He adds that he would give the bulk of that not to victims of domestic violence, but to "men who are victims of this stupid system where domestic violence has become the number one go-to for lawyers."

When pressed later in the interview, he admitted he probably would donate part of any award to "real" domestic violence victims, although he acknowledged that would be at odds with his reality TV persona: "That's way too nice. People are not going to like that."

The couple, who has said they weren't happy with their portrayal on "Real Housewives of New Jersey" and wouldn't return, had been in Los Angeles to tape a new reality show. It's set to air in October, but they said they couldn't offer any more details, and don't know whether the producers would want to continue their relationship.

"I can't imagine this [arrest] is going to have a positive effect," Jim says.

Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy or like her on Facebook. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook, and check out TV Hangover, the podcast from Vicki Hyman and co-host Erin Medley on iTunes, Stitcher or listen here.

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