Trigger Warning: This article contains references to alcohol and drug addiction
The executive producer of The Real Housewives, Andy Cohen, has filed to dismiss Leah McSweeney’s lawsuit. McSweeney had sued Bravo and Cohen earlier this year, claiming they encouraged her substance abuse and alcohol problems to boost the show’s ratings.
The court documents recently acquired by People reveal that the 55-year-old TV host has filed to dismiss her previous lawsuit alleging a “hostile work environment” during her time on the reality TV series The Real Housewives of New York City.
Andy Cohen appeals to dismiss Leah McSweeney’s lawsuit
Earlier this year, the former star of The Real Housewives franchise, Leah McSweeney, filed a discrimination and substance abuse lawsuit against Andy Cohen and Bravo. As Cohen has recently filed to dismiss her lawsuit, the documents obtained by People magazine state that his legal team argues that her alleged claims that he encouraged her alcohol problems to boost ratings should be “dismissed as a matter of law.”
The appeal comes roughly three months after the former star of The Real Housewives of New York City sued the show’s executive producer for allegedly creating a “rotted” working environment where cast members were encouraged to consume alcohol and other drugs.
As reported by the outlet, the document stated, “‘Whatever messages’ Defendants ‘communicate or intended to communicate’ with their shows is protected by the First Amendment. Judicial intervention into casting decisions for expressive works “impermissibly regulate[s] [Defendants’] right to alter the content of the story [they] tell —or choose not to tell.”
In response to Andy Cohen’s appeal to dismiss the lawsuit, Leah McSweeney’s attorney released a statement with the outlet, stating, “We do not agree that the motion has merit — it mostly argues for dismissal on technical grounds essentially saying that Defendants were allowed to discriminate against Ms. McSweeney — not that they did not do it.”
ALSO READ: Is Andy Cohen Leaving Bravo Amid Legal Issues? Network Addresses Rumors
Leah McSweeney shares her views on the lawsuit she filed against Andy Cohen
During her appearance on the American Addiction Center’s talk show Addiction Talk, Leah McSweeney talked about her views on the lawsuit she filed against Andy Cohen, noting that she is “doing great” since filing the case.
She shared that her intentions are good, stating, “As hard as it is to be going up against a very powerful entity, and for people to maybe also just not agree with me or, you know, come at me and get blowback and all the things, I don’t care, because this is the truth. I have it on my side, and my intentions are really good.”
