Leah McSweeney Amends Lawsuit Against Andy Cohen, Adds More Accusations

Leah McSweeney has no plans to let Andy Cohen off the hook anytime soon!

The former Bravolebrity recently amended her scathing lawsuit against the TV host and Bravo. This time, she is calling out the "Real Housewives" franchise executive producer for retaliating against her attempt for justice.

Leah McSweeney first slammed Andy Cohen and Bravo for allegedly promoting a toxic work environment, among other crimes.

McSweeney reportedly filed her amended lawsuit in New York, claiming that when she first dropped her bombshell allegations against Cohen, he vehemently retaliated against her.

She accused the TV personality of using his lawyers to run a smear campaign, threaten her in public, and rip her apart in the press. The accusations did not end there, as McSweeney claimed they tried to get her blackballed in the entertainment industry.

These allegations, per McSweeney, were calculated attempts to ensure she and any other Bravo star who might dare speak up against Cohen stayed silent. She used the letter penned by the TV host's lawyer as an example of his alleged scare tactics, per Page Six.

According to McSweeney, Cohen responded to her lawsuit with a letter drafted by his attorney. However, she claimed they intentionally leaked this letter to the press to damage her credibility by threatening to sue her if she did not withdraw her complaints.

The reality TV star explained that the law allowed anyone to claim anything they wanted in a court without fear of being sued for libel unless they could not prove those allegations.

But Cohen's lawyer allegedly claimed McSweeney's lawsuit was a libel against his client because not everyone knew the rules. Therefore, anyone who wished to speak out against the Bravo executive would fear retaliation.

The former Bravolebrity's amended lawsuit doubled down that Cohen's letter was intended to "intimidate Ms. McSweeney out of further pursuing" her case.

The documents also stated that it aimed to "maliciously" discourage "Housewives" stars and other employees from "objecting" to similar behavior.

In February, The Blast reported that McSweeney had filed a shocking lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo, and other "Real Housewives" showrunners for promoting a toxic work environment. She claimed the network exploited her alcohol issues during her time with them.

McSweeney appeared on two seasons of "The Real Housewives of New York City" in 2020 and 2021 and "Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip" in 2023. However, showrunners allegedly exploited her alcohol challenges while shooting these programs.

The former Bravolebrity's lawsuit described producers as almost desperate to make her start drinking again. They allegedly tried different ways to get her to drink, from persuasion to force and stopping her from attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings.

According to her lawsuit, Cohen and "Housewives" showrunners exploited her alcohol issues to generate more ratings. She claimed they went as far as making her emotionally unstable, hoping to capture her breakdown on camera.

McSweeney backed up her claims with an episode of "RHONY" called "Scary Island." There, one of the housewives seemed confused and did not think clearly, and her inebriated actions allegedly generated the highest number of viewers the show had ever received.

The aggrieved entertainer, who has been candid about her mental health problems, also alleged that Cohen and the other producers' actions resulted in her stay at a psychiatric hospital.

According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, Cohen kept his promise to fight against McSweeney's claims and moved to have her allegations dismissed.

Attorneys filed the petition for the "Watch What Happens Live!" host and the other defendants. The document argued:

"While Plaintiff attempts to overwhelm with a 754-paragraph complaint, even a cursory review of her allegations reveals that many concern matters entirely irrelevant to her claims and most are devoid of any factual or legal support, speculative, misleading, and/or demonstrably false."

Cohen's defense team claimed that many of McSweeney's complaints were supported by "the most conclusory and threadbare allegations" and should be dismissed.

The same applied to her cries of discrimination on Bravo' set, which the lawyers claimed fell under their clients' rights.

"They impermissibly seek to abridge Defendants' First Amendment rights to tailor and adjust the messages they wish to convey in their creative works, including through cast selection and other creative decisions," the document explained.