A New York judge ruled that Leah McSweeney can continue her lawsuit against Bravo TV in court.
The Married To The Mob creator claimed that Real Housewives of New York producers preyed on her alcohol addiction, trying to make her relapse. In May, Bravo filed a motion to dismiss her suit.
The legal deets:
Page Six reported “A judge published a 100-page ruling. It dismissed parts of the suit, but allowed her to keep much of her case intact. That includes the crux of her allegations: that ‘producers directly coerced and harassed [her] based on her [addiction].'”
Judge Lewis Liman agreed with the producers’ oral arguments. “They had a First Amendment right to demand that stars of the famously booze-soaked flagship show drink alcohol while filming it since ‘it is not incidental but central to the show’s message that the drinking activities it portrays are authentic and genuine.’”
But, the judge said Leah could continue to sue Bravo over how they treated her drinking issues.
Leah’s allegations about the RHONY producers:
The two-season Real Housewife alleged that the producers “joked about [her] drinking issues in her presence despite her requests that they stop. They taunted her about her alcohol use disorder and tried to undermine her sobriety through harassing comments.”
Allegedly, production directed other cast members to bring up Leah’s mental health and substance abuse issues. Additionally, they called her a drug addict, and coached fellow cast members to further disparage her.”
Bravo didn’t support Leah’s sobriety:
The judge ruled that Leah can continue to sue over allegations that “while she was preparing to appear on Ultimate Girls Trip, producers told [her] that she would be able to go to AA during the shoot. But, they changed their minds once they were on location.”
Liman wrote, “Her request to attend an AA meeting could have been accommodated without unreasonable hardship or expense.” Both sides will now begin demanding each other’s private records, texts, and emails and will request under-oath interviews.”
