Bravo War: Andy Cohen Demands Judge Halt His Lawsuit Battle With Leah McSweeney in Fresh ‘RHONY’ Feud Twist
![Composite image of Andy Cohen and Leah McSweeney](https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/480x251/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 480w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/640x335/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 640w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/768x402/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 768w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/1024x536/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 1024w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/1280x670/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 1280w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/1440x753/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 1440w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/1600x837/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 1600w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/z1I13sKRV/2160x1130/andy-cohen-mcsweeney-letter-1723227785493.jpg 2160w)
Andy Cohen is demanding a NY judge temporarily halt Leah McSweeney's lawsuit against him until his motion to dismiss the suit is heard.
Aug. 9 2024, Published 4:27 p.m. ET
Bravo exec Andy Cohen wants a judge to watch what happens…live, with his motion to dismiss appeal before former Real Housewives of New York Leah McSweeney’s case against him is heard, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Cohen, 56, sent a letter asking a judge to halt gathering any evidence in the ongoing saga, stating McSweeney’s complaint has eight defendants, over 34 witnesses and is “exceedingly lengthy and far-reaching”.
![Andy Cohen](https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/480x252/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 480w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/640x335/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 640w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/768x402/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 768w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/1024x536/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 1024w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/1280x670/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 1280w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/1440x754/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 1440w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/1600x838/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 1600w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/POrFg2g4n/2160x1131/andy-cohen-bravo-1723228042660.jpg 2160w)
Cohen's letter to a NY judge argues that because McSweeney is only seeking monetary damages her suit will not be prejudiced by a stay.
The television host argued for a halt in the suit until his motion to dismiss is heard, saying: “Any discovery sought will be broad and require extensive responses."
The motion also stated: “While Plaintiff attempts to overwhelm with a 754-paragraph complaint, even a cursory review of her allegations reveals that many concern matters entirely irrelevant to her claims and most are devoid of any factual or legal support, speculative, misleading, and/or demonstrably false.”
Cohen argued in his letter obtained by PEOPLE that doing so would “further the interests of efficiency and conservation of judicial resources”.
He also claimed McSweeney, 41, “only seeks money damages” and therefore would “not be prejudiced by a stay”.
![Leah McSweeney](https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/480x252/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 480w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/640x335/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 640w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/768x402/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 768w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/1024x536/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 1024w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/1280x670/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 1280w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/1440x754/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 1440w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/1600x838/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 1600w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/jx0OWYQVe/2160x1131/mcsweeney-suit-1723228118754.jpg 2160w)
McSweeney's complaint argues that Cohen and producers of RHONY forced her to drink even though she was an alcoholic.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, McSweeney filed a federal lawsuit against Cohen, Warner Bros Discovery, Shed Media, Bravo Media, and NBC Universal, claiming Cohen “tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated” against her “because she is a woman with disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders, all in the name of selling drama”.
The complaint also alleged Cohen fosters a “rotted workplace culture that uniquely depended on pressuring its employees to consume alcohol, engages in cocaine use with Housewives and other Bravolebrities that he employs”, and gives the “Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits”.
Before she began filming Season 12 of RHONY, McSweeney said she told producers about her prior issues with alcohol and that she was committed to staying sober.
Her suit claims the producers “pressured” her to drink despite knowing of her alcohol addiction, failed to get her help and failed “to provide reasonable accommodations, such as allowing Plaintiff to attend AA meetings; tormenting [Sweeney] on the basis of her disability, such as colluding with other cast members to taunt [Sweeney] regarding her sobriety; failing to advance Plaintiff due to her mental health diagnoses, and ultimately discharging Plaintiff due to her mental health diagnoses.”
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![Andy Cohen](https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/480x252/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 480w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/640x335/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 640w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/768x402/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 768w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/1024x536/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 1024w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/1280x670/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 1280w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/1440x754/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 1440w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/1600x838/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 1600w, https://media.radaronline.com/brand-img/9iNscCB-h/2160x1131/andy-cohen-letter-rhony-1723228206288.jpg 2160w)
Andy Cohen denied the allegations against him and has demanded a public apology.
Sweeney also claimed she was not cast on RHONY Season 14 and RHONY Legacy due to her “disability, including [Sweeney’s] failure to relapse into her alcohol use disorder.”
The reality star said the “hostile work environment … significantly altered the terms of her employment, caused [Sweeney] to suffer suicidal ideations, caused [Sweeney] to become institutionalized in a psychiatric facility, and has continued to cause ongoing mental pain and suffering”.
Cohen has denied the allegations and referred to them as “categorically false”.
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