Caroline Manzo Sues Bravo Over Alleged Brandi Glanville Sexual Assault
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on January 26, 2024 at 2:10 PM EST
Updated on January 26, 2024 at 2:19 PM EST
Caroline Manzo has filed a lawsuit against Bravo and Peacock over an alleged sexual harassment incident that occurred during the filming of 'The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.'
Manzo claims Brandi Glanville, best known for appearing on the reality television series 'The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' and 'The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip,' harassed her during production as they filmed in Morocco.
She is also suing other production companies who were involved in the filming of the reality show.
The 62-year-old claims that Glanville made unwanted advances towards her and kissed her without her consent.
Caroline Manzo Accuses Brandi Glanville Of Sexual Assault
According to the legal documents, Glanville “proceeded to mount Manzo on the couch holding Manzo down with her body, forcibly squeezed Manzo’s cheeks together and thrust her tongue in Manzo’s mouth, while humping her."
This event caused Manzo’s “dormant and horrific memories” of her past to resurface. For those who do not know, the reality television star was sexually assaulted when she was seven years old.
The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' alum also claims Glanville “forced her vagina” against her back.
Bravo Allegedly Keeps 'Real Housewives' Cast 'Severely Intoxicated'
“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 states.
“Caroline Manzo is a victim of those harmful actions," it continued.
In the past, NBCUniversal and Bravo were accused of “grotesque and depraved mistreatment" of their reality stars.
Last year, attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos sent a letter to NBC’s counsel, Kimberley Harris, claiming the production company of “distributing and/or condoning the distribution of non-consensual pornography,” and calling out the “distribution of revenge p--n."
“As you know, NBC has a pattern and practice of grotesque and depraved mistreatment of the reality stars and crewmembers on whose account its coffers swell,” the letter states, as they then claim NBC has “threatened [cast members] with ruin should they decide to speak out about their mistreatment.”
The attorneys’ letter then accuses the networks of “covering up acts of sexual violence.”
While the letter did not name any reality television stars by name, the attorneys do state that “as a result, the sordid and dark underbelly of NBC’s widely consumed reality TV universe has remained under wraps for far too long."
Caroline Manzo Is Not Suing Brand Glanville
Interestingly enough, Manzo isn’t directly going after Glanville. Instead, she is suing Bravo, Peacock, and other production and showrunners for allegedly encouraging the “sexually offensive and harassing content.”
Manzo’s attorney, Derek Smith, spoke to Page Six regarding the lawsuit, stating, “We are outraged by Bravo, Peacock, and NBC’s conduct and look forward to having the issues decided by a jury. Sexual harassment should never be entertainment!”
The 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' alum is suing for "negligence, sexual harassment, sex/gender discrimination, sexual battery, and other causes of action that she says violate state laws in California and New York," per the docs.