“Real Housewives” Star Leah McSweeney’s Lawsuit Against Andy Cohen and Bravo Will Proceed in Public Courtroom, Judge Rules

McSweeney filed a lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo and others in 2024, accusing them of exploiting her alcohol addiction on 'RHONY' for ratings

NEED TO KNOW

• Leah McSweeney’s lawsuit against Andy Cohen, Bravo and other subsidiaries will proceed in a public courtroom, according to a new March 9 court order
• The lawsuit, filed in 2024 by the former Real Housewives of New York City star, claimed McSweeney told Bravo producers she suffered from alcohol use disorder but they intentionally planned scenarios where her “disabilities” would be exacerbated in order to “create morbidly salacious reality television”
• McSweeney later alleged that Cohen used the press for a “coordinated attack” against her following her lawsuit

Leah McSweeney's lawsuit against Andy Cohen, Bravo and other subsidiaries will proceed in federal court after a judge denied a request to move the case to private arbitration.

In a new 10-page order obtained by PEOPLE on Tuesday, March 17, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman said Bravo and Cohen, 57, waited too long to request arbitration after already fighting the case in court, so the defendants waived that right.

In turn, the case will proceed within the openness of a public courtroom, as opposed to a private arbitration (Arbitration is an out-of-court dispute resolution between two parties that is decided by an impartial third party.) In the new order, filed March 9 and reviewed by PEOPLE, Judge Liman said Cohen and Bravo wanted arbitration to avoid the “daunting specter of civil discovery," and because they litigated the case first, they waived their rights and were “trying to have their cake and eat it too."

In May 2025 court filings obtained by PEOPLE, the former Real Housewives of New York City star, 43, alleged that the Bravo mogul used the press for a "coordinated attack" against her after she filed her 2024 lawsuit against him, Bravo and other subsidiaries for a toxic work environment that encouraged drug use.

In her initial lawsuit suing Cohen, Bravo and others, which was filed in February 2024, McSweeney alleged that she told Bravo producers that she suffered from alcohol use disorder but they intentionally planned scenarios where her "disabilities" would be exacerbated in order to "create morbidly salacious reality television."

She also alleged that Cohen engaged in "cocaine use with Housewives and other 'Bravolebrities' that he employs," and would provide Housewives who partook in the drug with him "more favorable treatment and edits."

McSweeney then claimed in the 2025 filings that Cohen abused his power to "direct or induce" other Bravo stars to say she was a "liar" in the press.

She wrote that Cohen “either directly requested or induced current and former ‘Real Housewives’ cast members publicly disparage McSweeney’s character, and propensity for truthfulness, to curry favor with Cohen in the hopes that such favor would propel their entertainment careers."

In March 2025, just over a year after McSweeney's initial filing, a judge issued a 100-page order in response to the defendants' motion to dismiss the lawsuit, in which McSweeney is also accusing NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US and two producers of exploiting her addiction during her time as part of the Housewives franchise.

The judge let three of McSweeney’s disability-related claims go forward and dismissed all the others in whole or in part.

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NBC's lawyers previously described McSweeney's experience with Cohen and being on the show as standard in reality TV and protected by the First Amendment, while McSweeney's attorney said Bravo was "profiting from showing people crumble."

In a November 2024 court hearing, Judge Liman, who is also presiding over the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, admitted that he had not watched The Real Housewives franchise, to which McSweeney's attorney replied, "You’re gonna see a lot more of this show than you want."

In a post on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday, McSweeney responded to the new ruling, writing per The Hollywood Reporter that it was a "huge ruling" and it is “emotionally and mentally draining” to discuss the case.

"Reality TV might look like entertainment, but behind the drama, there can be harmful misconduct that should never be normalized,” McSweeney added.

PEOPLE has reached out to attorneys for McSweeney and Cohen, Bravo and the other defendants.

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