Former Vanderpump Rules star Faith Stowers accused producers of pressuring her into staying silent about an alleged incident involving costar Lala Kent, In Touch can report.
According to court documents obtained by In Touch, Faith, 35, asked a court to deny the recent request brought by NBC, Bravo and Vanderpump producers, Evolution Media, to move her lawsuit out of the public eye.
Bravo and the VPR producers argued Faith’s discrimination lawsuit should be heard in arbitration. The defendants said the contracts signed by Faith to appear on Vanderpump said all disputes would be heard in the private court setting.
Faith, who appeared on seasons 4, 5 and 6 of the Bravo reality show, said the agreements she signed are “invalid and unenforceable.”
She asked the court to allow her lawsuit to move forward publicly in Los Angeles Superior Court.
In her lawsuit, Faith claimed she experienced discrimination while filming Vanderpump Rules. Faith said she was asked to join the show by Lisa Vanderpump when she was working as a server at Lisa’s restaurant Pump.
In court documents, Faith, a black woman, said Lisa told her the case needed “color.” Her lawyers said Faith was “subjected to racism, sexual harassment, and physical assault in her first season.”
“Over time, her treatment got even worse. Many cast members embarked on an overtly racist social media harassment campaign, accusing her of having gone AWOL from the military [false], of being a thief [false], and being a career criminal wanted by the LAPD [false],” her lawyers added.
Faith accused her costars, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, of calling the police on her for a crime she did not commit. Stassi and Kristen were fired in 2020 but Kristen was rehired for a spin-off of Vanderpump called The Valley in 2023.
Stassi, 36, and Kristen, 41, issued an apology to Fatih in 2020. In her lawsuit, Faith said she was also subjected to racial slurs, including about her “nappy” hair.
In a declaration, Faith added, “I was also attacked by a cast member brandishing a knife to my neck while threatening to ‘cut a bitch.’ I was terrified that I would be stabbed, sliced, or disfigured and was left deeply shaken by the incident, which was captured on camera and later covered up.”
Faith said she reported the incident to producers and NBC and “expressed her intention to involve law enforcement.” She claimed the show’s executive producer called her to discourage her from involving the escalating the situation by speaking to the media.
Faith said, “[The executive producer] downplayed the incident’s significance and strongly implied that speaking out would come with severe career ramifications. The next day, Vanderpump warned me that I would be terminated if I could not find a way to get along with [Lala], my attacker.” She said, “Out of concern for my job security, I held my tongue and refrained from reporting the incident to law enforcement or disclosing it to the media.”
Faith said despite her doing as requested, she was not asked back as a full-time cast member the following season.
Faith said, “Notwithstanding, [VPR producers] and NBC declined to exercise my option, instead forcing me to sign a new contract stating that I would henceforth be a ‘volunteer.’ I was relegated to this ‘volunteer’ status for my final two seasons on the show. I received no compensation despite being treated like an employee under [VPR producers] and NBC’s complete direction and control and remaining a central part of the plot.”
Vanderpump Rules and Bravo previously said in court that they “vigorously dispute [Faith’s] claims” in the lawsuit. In her original lawsuit, Faith described the alleged incident with Lala, 34.
It read, “[Lala] and [Faith] were in SUR’s dining room arguing over [Faith’s] disclosure of something [Lala] believed was said in confidence. [Lala] became severely agitated, losing all self-control and hurling barbs at [Faith]. [Faith] and [Lala] retreated to a backroom, with [Lala] still screaming. With the cameras rolling, [LaLa] grabbed a knife from a nearby counter and began brandishing it at [Faith], holding it to her neck and threatening to ‘cut a bitch.’ [Faith] looked into [Lala’s] eyes while [Lala] was wielding the knife and could see that [Lala] was deadly serious and had completely lost control, and, consequently, that she [Faith] was in actual danger.”
Lala is not a defendant in the lawsuit.
As In Touch previously reported, Faith and Lala’s former costars Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval are in the middle of their own lawsuit over alleged invasion of privacy. Tom denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
