McSweeney appeared on seasons 12 and 13 of ‘The Real Housewives of New York City’ and season 3 of ‘Ultimate Girls Trip’
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Leah McSweeney and Andy Cohen
Andy Cohen is being sued by former Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney.
The civil lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York, names Cohen, Bravo Media, NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward.
Within the 109-page complaint obtained by PEOPLE, McSweeney claims the defendants established a “rotted” workplace culture where employees were pressured to consume alcohol. She also alleges that the defendants failed to maintain a safe working environment and accommodate her disabilities, including “alcohol use disorder” and “mental health disorders.”
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Andy Cohen, Dolores Catania and Leah McSweeney on an episode of “Watch What Happens Live”
McSweeney added that she disclosed that she had broken nine years of sobriety, but was sober by the time filming for season 12 of the show began in 2019.
Reps for Cohen, Bravo, Shed and Warner Bros did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on McSweeney’s allegations.
McSweeney further alleges that producers knew she suffered from alcohol use disorder after she confided in them, but discriminated against that and other mental disorders by “intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate [her] disabilities,” all in efforts to “create morbidly salacious reality television.”
In a later section of the complaint, McSweeney goes on to claim that Cohen “engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” and has a “proclivity for cocaine usage with his employees.”
“Cohen tends to provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits,” she claimed.
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Andy Cohen on ‘Watch What Happens Live’
“Cohen intentionally uses cocaine with his employees to further promote a workplace culture that thrives off drug and alcohol abuse, which leads to a failure to accommodate employees who are disabled and attempting to remain substance free.”
“Cohen’s preferred workplace environment, which is fueled with substances and illicit behavior, permeates every aspect of Defendant Bravo productions,” she continued.
Deadline reported a rep for Cohen stating Tuesday that “the claims against Andy are completely false!”
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Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
