\n<\/p>\n
A Housewife will finally get her day in court. On March 31, Southern District of New York Judge Lewis Liman<\/strong> issued an Opinion and Order<\/a> in the case of former The Real Housewives of New York City<\/em> (RHONY<\/em>) and The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip<\/em> (UGT<\/em>) cast member Leah McSweeney<\/strong> vs. network front man and Housewives<\/em> executive producer Andy Cohen,<\/strong> codefendants Bravo and the network\u2019s parent company NBCUniversal; as well as RHONY<\/em> and UGT\u2019s<\/em> production company Shed Media, its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, and producers Lisa Shannon,<\/strong> John Paparazzo,<\/strong> and Darren Ward.<\/strong> Judge Liman ruled that three of McSweeney\u2019s claims could move forward: a hostile workplace environment claim regarding her substance abuse disorder and mental illness, a reasonable accommodation claim, and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ten additional claims regarding the same issues were dismissed with individual producers as defendants but can still be pursued against the corporate defendants, and 20 claims alleging sex and religious discrimination were dismissed entirely.<\/p>\n \u201cI was very pleased to hear of Judge Liman\u2019s decision to move this case forward,\u201d McSweeney told VF.<\/em> \u201cTo be honest, I wish I did not have to have any days in court, but I am looking forward to seeing the truth and justice prevail.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank the Judge for his care in his 100 page decision that kept the majority of the major claims (13 in total, including: disability discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation for opposing unlawful practices, whistleblower retaliation, failure to provide reasonable accommodations), against the defendants and continues to give full life to Leah\u2019s lawsuit and another step closer to holding the defendants accountable,\u201d McSweeney\u2019s legal team told VF.<\/em> \u201cWhile we disagree with his findings on the minor claims and will certainly be filing an amended complaint to address his questions, this decision is not a scorecard, it was an affirmation that there are serious claims and that they will proceed in Court.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the first time in the contemporary era of Bravo that a legal claim from a former Bravo star against the network was litigated in a public hearing, and the first time a judge has issued an order that a case could proceed. (A source with knowledge says that a supporting cast member has gone to court with a claim about Bravo in recent years, but did not elaborate on the specifics.) In November, a spokesperson for Bravo told VF<\/em> they \u201cdo not comment on on-going litigation\u201d and did not respond to a recent request for comment on the Opinion and Order.<\/p>\n Vanity Fair<\/em>\u2019s feature \u201cInside the Real Housewives<\/em> Reckoning That\u2019s Rocking Bravo<\/a>\u201d examined allegations of racist behavior and substance abuse, among other issues, on the sets of multiple productions. On November 14, attorneys for the defendants and McSweeney\u2014as well as McSweeney herself\u2014appeared in front of Judge Liman. The judge heard oral argument about the defendants\u2019 motion to dismiss McSweeney\u2019s February 2024 civil<\/a> complaint against those named. The filing alleged a workplace \u201crotted\u201d by discrimination and retaliation from production regarding McSweeney\u2019s alcohol use disorder and recovery in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Cohen\u2019s alleged sexual harassment and drug use with employees. Cohen\u2019s personal attorney sent a letter to McSweeney\u2019s attorneys stating that the allegations were \u201ccategorically false\u201d and \u201cdefamatory\u201d and threatening legal action, which led to another filing from McSweeney\u2019s legal team alleging the letter was shared by Cohen with the press as retaliation that kept McSweeney from being hired because she had been branded a \u201cliar,\u201d and that it functioned as a warning to other Bravo talent not to pursue such complaints.<\/p>\n In Judge Liman\u2019s March 31 Opinion and Order, he noted, \u201cThe entirety of Defendants\u2019 argument with respect to Plaintiff\u2019s disability-related claims […] is that they would impermissibly abridge Defendants\u2019 First Amendment rights,\u201d continuing, \u201cDefendants dispute no substantive elements of Plaintiff\u2019s ADA claims or their state and city analogs, challenging neither the plausibility nor the cognizability of Plaintiff\u2019s harms as a matter of antidiscrimination law.\u201d<\/p>\n All claims in McSweeney\u2019s lawsuit that were upheld are subject to discovery. (Or, in the parlance of Bravo: Receipts. Proof. Timeline. Screenshots.<\/a>) This means unseen footage from the show and text messages from Cohen and producers could be made public.<\/p>\n McSweeney\u2019s case is one of several recent filings by former Bravo cast members, including former Real Housewife of New Jersey<\/em> and UGT<\/em> star Caroline Manzo<\/strong> and UGT<\/em> supporting cast member Marco Vega,<\/strong> who both allege drunken sexual misconduct from costar Brandi Glanville<\/strong> (who is not named as a defendant in either case) at the encouragement of producers. Those cases are pending the New York Supreme Court\u2019s decisions on motions to dismiss from Bravo, NBCUniversal, Shed Media and their subsidiary company Forest Productions, Warner Bros. Entertainment, and the streaming service Peacock. Regarding the decision in McSweeney\u2019s case, Derek Smith,<\/strong> the attorney for Vega and Manzo, told VF,<\/em> \u201cThe decision is a win for Leah McSweeney allowing her core claims to move forward. The decision is also a win for all reality television participants. It establishes that television producers cannot discriminate against their employees while attempting to hide behind the First Amendment. Discrimination is not a constitutionally protected activity. The Court held, \u2018The right to expressive speech does not carry with it a general exemption from all laws that would govern conduct on the set.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n In February, former Vanderpump Rules<\/em> star Rachel Leviss<\/strong> filed a revenge porn and eavesdropping suit<\/a> against former castmates Ariana Madix<\/strong> and Tom Sandoval.<\/strong> The lawsuit, which is slated to go to trial in November, reads, \u201cFomented by Bravo and Evolution in conjunction with the cast, Leviss was subjected to a public skewering with little precedent and became, without exaggeration, one of the most hated women in America.\u201d (Madix and Sandoval have denied the allegations.)<\/p>\n