“The Real Housewives of New York City” star Leah McSweeney‘s lawsuit against TV personality Andy Cohen and reality network Bravo will continue in federal court after a judge refused to switch the case to private arbitration.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman has decided that Bravo and Cohen did not request arbitration soon enough, meaning that they waived their right to a private resolution process, according to a 10-page order first obtained by People.
The judge’s ruling means that the case will now unfold in a public courtroom.
As per the order, which was filed March 9, Judge Liman claimed that Cohen, 57, and Bravo wanted to avoid the “daunting specter of civil discovery.” However, since they initially litigated the case, they were unable to seek privacy in this matter and were now “trying to have their cake and eat it too.”
The legal battle between McSweeney, 43, Cohen, and Bravo heightened in May 2025 when the ‘RHONY’ icon claimed that the TV host used the press for a “coordinated attack” after she filed her initial 2024 lawsuit against him, the network, and several other subsidiaries for an unhealthy work atmosphere she claims encouraged drug use.
In her lawsuit, which was first filed in Feb. 2024, McSweeney claimed that she informed Bravo producers that she dealt with alcohol use disorder, alleging that they intentionally planned storylines where her “disabilities” would be pushed to “create morbidly salacious reality television.”
McSweeney claimed that Cohen took part in “cocaine use with Housewives and other ‘Bravolebrities’ that he employs,” and would give the stars he partied with “more favorable treatment and edits.”
She alleged that he abused his position of authority to “direct or induce” stars to claim that she was a “liar” while around members of the media.
McSweeney further claimed that Cohen “either directly requested or induced current and former ‘Real Housewives’ cast members to 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.”
One year after McSweeney’s initial filing, a judge sent out a 100-page order in response to the motion to dismiss, in which, the TV star claimed that NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US, and multiple producers exploited her alcohol addiction during filming.
The judge allowed McSweeney’s disability claims to move forward while dismissing the other allegations.
Lawyers for NBC previously claimed that McSweeney’s experience with Cohen was standard.
Realtor.com® has reached out to reps for Cohen, Bravo, and McSweeney for comment.
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