'Offensive': Andy Cohen Demands Public Apology From Ex-'RHONY' Star Leah McSweeney Over Cocaine Accusations
Andy Cohen has asked a judge to dismiss Leah McSweeney's 'speculative' and 'demonstrably false' lawsuit claiming drugs, booze, and discrimination.
March 7 2024, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Bravo's Andy Cohen has slammed former Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney's lawsuit against him as a "shakedown," RadarOnline.com can report.
In a bombshell federal lawsuit filed late last month and obtained by RadarOnline.com, McSweeney claimed that Cohen and the network "tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated against Ms. McSweeney because she is a woman with disabilities, such as alcohol use disorder and various mental health disorders, all in the name of selling drama."
In response, McSweeney's lawyer Sarah Matz said, "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.
The complaint, which also listed Warner Bros Discovery, Shed Media, Bravo Media, and NBC Universal as defendants, alleged that Cohen encouraged and exploited substance abuse, engaged in cocaine use with members of the RHONY cast, and tended to "provide the Housewives with whom he uses cocaine with more favorable treatment and edits."
Cohen's lawyer denied the allegations of drug use, calling them "categorically false." In a letter to McSweeney's legal team obtained by Page Six, he wrote that "Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee."
Cohen and his lawyer have called the allegations against him "categorically false."
The strongly worded letter, penned by Orin Snyder of high-profile law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, declared that McSweeney's suit is "littered with false, offensive, and defamatory statements" and demanded that she "immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen's purported 'cocaine use.'"
Addressing McSweeney's attorney, Snyder wrote, "The allegations were obviously made up by you and/or your client to achieve maximum tabloid clickbait value in the hopes of weaponizing these false allegations – along with other lies that permeate the complaint – as leverage to force an unjustified settlement. It will not. Instead, this conduct only subjects you and your client to independent and substantial legal exposure."
In a federal lawsuit filed last month, McSweeney claimed that Cohen "tormented, demoralized, demeaned, harassed and retaliated" against her.
"An allegation of drug use in the workplace is a serious charge,” he continued, arguing that McSweeney's "reason for inventing the false allegations" was solely "to create a media frenzy and pressure in an attempt to force a settlement ... these allegations are missing every detail, including the who, where, and when."
"We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen," the letter concluded. "Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen."
Bravo and the Real Housewives franchise have faced a flurry of legal action in recent months.
McSweeney's attorney, Sarah M. Matz of Adelman Matz P.C., issued a response to Page Six, claiming that Cohen and his legal team are trying to bully McSweeney and other victims into silence.
"That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising," she said. "Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen's attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in Court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney."
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"We do not intend to litigate this matter in the press, and if Mr. Cohen wants to address Ms. McSweeney's claims, we suggest he do so in Court, not in a letter for the press," she added.
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Former Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Brandi Glanville accused Andy Cohen of sexual harassment in another letter last month, claiming that he once said he wanted to have sex with another Bravo star and invited Glanville to watch on FaceTime. Cohen clarified that he was "clearly joking" but apologized, admitting that his comments were "totally inappropriate."
Glanville herself has also been accused of sexual harassment by former The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Caroline Manzo, who sued Bravo for allegedly encouraging her behavior while filming Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip in Morocco in January 2023.
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