Judge dismisses NeNe Leakes’ lawsuit against Bravo & Andy Cohen

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Andy Cohen in 2022.

A federal judge has granted a motion to dismiss the racial discrimination lawsuit filed by former Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes against Bravo, NBCUniversal, Andy Cohen and others. Attorneys for both sides jointly asked a judge to dismiss the case unscathed on August 19, 2022. That means Leakes could re-file the lawsuit in the future.

Court filings obtained by Heavy do not provide details as to why the case was settled, and attorneys for Leakes and the defendants have not commented. According to federal court records from the Northern District of Georgia, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash Jr. approved the parole and dropped the case on August 26, 2022. The lawsuit was filed by Leakes in April 2022. She starred in “RHOA”. for the first seven seasons of the show before returning for seasons 10-12. In 2020, she left the show a second time.

In addition to Cohen, Bravo and NBCUniversal, the lawsuit also named True Entertainment, Truly Original LLC, Shari Levine, Steven Weinstock and Laura Eskelin as defendants. Leaks accused those involved in the creation and production of the Real Housewives franchises and other Bravo reality shows of creating and televising racially segregated workplaces where racially insensitive and inappropriate behavior is condoned and permitted, thereby creating often discriminatory and hostile work environments and creating diverse talents who work in their jobs,” the lawsuit reads.

Leaks also accused Cohen and other executives involved with the show of blacklisting her from working with the network after she made allegations of racism. Leakes’ attorneys wrote, “For years, NBC and Bravo have run The Real Housewives as a separate franchise, treating certain shows as white shows and others as black shows, with little or no overlap or commingling between the two.” The segregated nature of the franchise is reminiscent of the early days of ‘separate but equal’ — that is, the shows are racially segregated, ostensibly equal, but in reality they aren’t.”

There are rumors that NeNe Leakes has received a multi-million dollar settlement to drop the civil suit

GettyNeNe leaks.

The joint motion to dismiss the complaint states: “All parties consent and consent to the foregoing dismissal. Neither party will seek reimbursement of costs or attorneys’ fees in any filing in this court.” The filing is largely filled with procedural details and makes no mention of any settlement or out-of-court settlement between the two sides or that it will be settled by arbitration.

but AllAbouttheTea reports On Aug. 23, a source said Leakes had agreed to a financial settlement to drop the case. The site wrote that “NeNe settled for “about $4.5 million in hush money.” In exchange for the money, NeNe signed a confidentiality/non-disclosure agreement with a non-disparagement clause. This means that NeNe can no longer make disparaging remarks about Bravo, Andy Cohen and his production companies in the future.”

Prior to the surprise news that the case would be dismissed, both sides had requested time to discuss whether Leakes had legal authority to file a lawsuit against Cohen and Bravo. According to court documents obtained by Heavy, the defendants’ attorneys said Leakes’ contract required them to submit any litigation to an independent arbitrator in New York. Leakes’ attorneys argued she had the right to sue in federal court in Georgia.

Leakes’ attorneys wrote in their first file, “To try to protect themselves from public scrutiny of its unlawful employment practices such as those described here, NBC, Bravo and/or True have also requested Ms. Leakes as a condition of hiring others to themselves.” subject to the non-negotiable Standard Terms and Arbitration Provisions in order to be allowed to work on the Real Housewives show.

Leaks named other Real Housewives stars and other bravolebrities in the lawsuit

GettyKim Zolciak and Kroy Bierman.

Leakes’ attorneys didn’t hesitate to call other bravolebrities in the lawsuit, including her former “RHOA” co-star Kim Zolciak-Biermann. The civil lawsuit states: “Housewife Kim Zolciak-Biermann – the only white housewife at RHOA – repeatedly engages in racially offensive conduct. Rather than subjecting them to appropriate remedial action, NBC, Bravo and/or True reward Zolciak-Biermann with special perks and privileges denied to black housewives. Mrs. Leakes and the other black housewives are speaking out, but nothing is being done to stop Zolciak-Biermann’s racially objectionable behavior.”

Biermann responded to the allegations in the lawsuit in June, calling them “ridiculous.” Biermann added during her performance “The Nightcap with Carlos King” that: “I’ll take care of her when she’s done with it. You can’t say things that aren’t true and try to defame someone.”

Former Vanderpump Rules stars Stassi Schroeder and Kristin Doute were also named in the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, “The problem also exists in the ‘Vanderpump Rules.’ … In 2015 they tried to diversify by hiring Faith Stowers. But after leaving the show, Stowers publicly expressed that as the only black cast member, she felt she was treated differently than the other cast members. Among other things, she reported being subjected to inappropriate racial comments, like having her hair called a “diaper,” and even two white cast members, Stassi Schroeder and Kristen Doute, making a false report to police that Stowers had committed a crime .”

Leakes’ lawyers added: “Initially, Bravo did nothing – it did not publicly condemn Schroeder’s or Doute’s treatment of Ms Stowers, who was effectively forced off the show. It was not until much later, around June 2020, that Bravo reportedly terminated Schroeder and Doute’s contracts.”