Caroline Manzo, who was featured on Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New Jersey, has accused the network of allowing sexual harassment to occur during the production of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip, a report says.
The accusations have been made in a lawsuit filed in New York City on Friday in which Manzo alleges that she was sexually assaulted by fellow cast member Brandi Glanville during filming in Morocco.
Manzo alleges that Glanville forcibly kissed her and groped her crotch and breasts during the production, according to The Messenger.
“Defendants, including Bravo, regularly ply the Real Housewives cast with alcohol, cause them to become severely intoxicated, and then direct, encourage and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members because that is good for ratings,” the lawsuit reads. “Caroline Manzo is a victim of those harmful actions. This lawsuit seeks to hold defendants accountable for their unlawful conduct and hopefully discourage defendants from continuing to sacrifice their cast members’ safety for their own ratings and profits.”
Manzo further alleges that Bravo “had overwhelming prior notice of Glanville’s prior deviant sexual proclivities and sexually harassing conduct.”
This, Manzo’s filing says, means they should have assumed such a thing could happen.
“Defendants never should have hired Glanville to participate in RHUGT, because they knew that she tended to sexually harass others,” the filing continues. “Defendants even encouraged Glanville to become drunk on the set so that she would be more likely to commit outrageous and harassing acts, thereby helping defendants’ ratings without regard to the rights and safety of those around her.”
Manzo’s filing alleges that the production that Glanville “sexually abused and harassed Manzo causing Manzo extreme emotional distress and other loss of enjoyment of life and other damages.”
In addition, Manzo’s filing alleges that the Bravo production encouraged the abuse.
“Defendants even encouraged Ms. Glanville to become drunk on the set so that she would be more likely to commit outrageous and harassing acts, thereby helping Defendants’ ratings without regard to the rights and safety of those around her,” the papers insist.
Glanville seemed to echo the accusation of heavy alcohol use.
“These producers need to be held accountable,” Glanville wrote on X in Dec. “Producers may not shove the alcohol down our throats, but they sure do encourage it even in Morocco during the day where it’s illegal to drink!”
Producers may not shove the alcohol down our throats, but they sure do encourage it even in Morocco during the day where it's illegal to drink! pic.twitter.com/gYyPWFIfk1
— Brandi Glanville (@BrandiGlanville) December 16, 2023
Both Glanville and Manzo left the Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip before the production was complete after Manzo alleged that Glanville had forcibly kissed her without consent.
It was also reported that the entire season of the show may be scrapped, costing the network millions.
But Glanville denied the accusations Manzo made that had them both cut from the show.
“I am completely innocent, the producers ask you to do something. And then you get in trouble for it!!!! The producers need to follow the rules!” Glanville said.
Still, Glanville was not named as a defendant in the filing, according to Variety.
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