Not only is Leah McSweeney not backing down from her legal pursuits against Bravo and Andy Cohen, she’s ramping it up.
The two-season Real Housewives of New York alum filed a discrimination lawsuit against Andy and the network in February. Leah alleges that during her time on RHONY, showrunners encouraged the cast to partake in drugs and alcohol to create drama. This was distressing for her as a recovering alcoholic who had battled mental health issues.
Leah’s still pursuing that part of the suit. However, she just added on more. She recently amended the suit in direct response to how Andy responded to her original accusations.
Leah believes that Andy “retaliated” against her
Page Six reports that Leah filed the amended suit in New York on Tuesday. She now believes that Andy’s response to the initial suit she levied against him – including that he did cocaine with his favorite Wives – is an attempt at retaliation.
Leah’s updated suit argues that Andy’s lawyers publicly threatened her, criticized her in the media, and attempted to blacklist her in the entertainment industry. Leah believes that it was an intentional aim to intimidate her or others who are considering speaking out.
Andy vehemently denied these accusations. In addition, Bravo says an independent investigation found no wrongdoing on his part.
Andy also had his attorneys draft a letter after the February filing – which he’s also aiming to dismiss. According to Leah’s now-expanded suit, the letter was leaked to the press. It called Leah’s claims libelous and demanded that she retract them or face a defamation lawsuit.
However, Leah’s amended suit points out that legal norms allow people to make any claim they want in court filings without fear of libel suits. Even if they aren’t true. Further, it suggests that Andy’s letter was a calculated legal move. Others might not know or understand that rule, and if they were scared of being sued for libel, they’d stay quiet.
The filing also claims that Andy aimed to “intimidate Ms. McSweeney out of further pursuing” her lawsuit and “maliciously” discourage other Bravolebs from “objecting” to similar behavior.
As for Leah’s claims of Andy blackballing her, the suit now states that the letter aimed to harm Leah’s “reputation in the entertainment industry, thereby negatively affecting [her] prospective employment or business opportunities.”
Representatives for Bravo declined to comment. Reps for Andy haven’t yet responded.
The Real Housewives of New York streams on Peacock.