The lawsuit against Bravo sees Caroline alleging that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by Brandi during filming for season 4 of 'The Real Housewives of Ultimate Girls Trip' in January 2023.
- Jan 27, 2024
AceShowbiz - Brandi Glanville has responded to the sexual harassment accusation leveled at her by former "The Real Housewives of Ultimate Girls Trip" co-star Caroline Manzo after she sued Bravo and Peacock. In a statement through her rep, Brandi called Caroline's lawsuit "absurd" and "defamatory."
"Sadly, Brandi had to wake up to yet another lawsuit that includes defamatory, false accusations about her," the rep for "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum told Page Six on Friday, January 26.
The rep further explained Brandi only "followed what the producers asked of her, and there was no sexual assault" while filming the as-of-yet unaired season 4 of "The Real Housewives" spin-off series. "She is innocent of these absurd accusations that have weighed on her mental and physical health for far too long without a word of support from Peacock, Shed or Bravo. This painful storytelling seems endless and needs to stop. She is looking to move on and upward and get her life back," the rep added.
Filed in state court in New York, the lawsuit sees Caroline alleging that she was sexually harassed and assaulted by Brandi during filming in Morocco back in January 2023. She claims that during taping, Brandi kissed her and groped her vagina and breasts. Caroline also slams Bravo and other NBCUniversal entities for still hiring Brandi despite her history of sexually harassing conduct because of ratings.
The suit, which doesn't name Brandi as defendant, reads, "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 filing also noted that Bravo did not require Brandi to attend a sexual harassment class mandatory for all talent prior to filming.
Caroline further calls herself a "victim of those harmful actions" as she seeks to hold the defendants "accountable for their unlawful conduct" and "discourage" them from "continuing to sacrifice their cast members' safety for their own ratings and profits."
In the lawsuit, Caroline additionally recalls the incident which took place at the villa, where a snake charmer was performing. According to Caroline, Brandi walked over to her, spread her legs and leaned into her before resting her head on Caroline's inner thigh. Brandi also kissed Caroline with a closed mouth and then "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."
When Caroline eventually was able to break free from Brandi, she went to the bathroom only to get followed by Brandi. The latter allegedly "came behind Manzo, forced her vagina against Manzo's buttocks, breasts against Manzo's back, wrapped her long arms around Manzo forcibly restraining her and began washing her hands with Manzo's hands entwined."
Caroline wasn't able to exit the bathroom as the door was locked. Brandi allegedly "pressed her breasts and vagina against Manzo" and tried to stop Caroline from trying to get the door unlocked by "repeatedly" hitting "Manzo's hand away from the door lock." That prompted Caroline to cry for help but nobody ever came to help her.
According to Caroline, the producers sent someone to "investigate" the bathroom door because they heard their interaction on audio but that person "never opened the door or took any other action to intervene and stop the sexual assault." The one who opened the door that night was castmate Alex McCord.
Following the incident which triggered traumatic memories of her being sexually assaulted when she was 7 years old, Caroline asked the producers not to be left alone with Brandi again. They, however, only focused on the show instead of her well-being as they asked her to meet with Brandi before the latter was moved to another nearby hotel. Both Caroline and Brandi were sent home early after the incident.
