As reality TV fans know, Bravo has had an interesting couple of years. There have been lawsuits from former cast members, allegations, and an entire season of a show that will likely never see the light of day. One of the big news stories comes from former Real Housewives of New York star Leah McSweeney, who decided to file a lawsuit against Bravo and Andy Cohen.
Recently, it was decided that the lawsuit would not be postponed and that her legal team could look into private recordings and documents.
Fans will recall that Leah recently filed a lawsuit against the network and Andy that alleges she was encouraged to break her sobriety. She claims they told her the show would get better ratings if she was “unpredictable.” She says this treatment while filming caused her to begin drinking again. She also alleges Andy did drugs with some cast members.
Now, according to Page Six, Leah’s legal team has been given the go-ahead to look into Andy’s private recordings and various documents that may be related to her allegations. This part of the proceedings is called discovery, and it’s when legal teams can request certain documents to be used as evidence. Previously, Andy’s team had requested that the judge bar Leah’s lawyers from starting the discovery process until it was decided whether the case would be dismissed.
That’s not all. Leah’s legal team can also begin securing testimonies under oath from people who have knowledge of the situation. This could include cast members and production members.
There’s more bad news for Andy and the other defendants. Previously, they had requested to pause the lawsuit as a whole. However, PEOPLE is reporting that this request has also been denied by the New York judge.
The judge said that they “have not shown good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss. The burden is on the Defendants to show good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss.”
Andy’s team had argued that they wouldn’t be able to respond to discovery before the judge’s decision about tossing out the case. This all means that, for now, the case and both teams’ paths to proving their sides of the argument must continue.
This is a developing story.