Luann de Lesseps and Sonja Morgan have now found themselves caught up in the press storm around Leah McSweeney.
The former Real Housewives of New York star made headlines for her recent lawsuit against Bravo. The lawsuit’s major claim alleged that Bravo promoted substance abuse among its stars.
As a recovering alcoholic, Leah understandably had a problem with this alleged work environment. Apparently, it was also a problem for Luann and Sonja.
Leah claims Bravo called Sonja a “golden goose” for drinking on camera
In Leah’s legal letter to Bravo on February 27, her team wrote, “Producers knew that Ms. de Lesseps’ suffered from alcohol use disorder through filming Ms. de Lesseps’ alcohol related arrest, criminal prosecution, parole, and experience in a rehabilitation center.”
The letter continued, “Notwithstanding this knowledge, the Defendant Producers joked to Ms. McSweeney about watching as de Lesseps drunkenly entered into a vehicle with two men that she did not know in effort to obtain illicit substances.”
The letter also alleged that Bravo producers called Sonja a “golden goose” because she was willing to get drunk on camera. However, things changed when executive producer Barrie Bernstein said Sonja’s “excessive alcohol consumption … was becoming ‘pathetic,’” as per Leah’s address.
In consequence, production allegedly encouraged Leah to start drinking. She claims that production encouraged her to be a “fun drunk,” thereby “blatantly ignoring Ms. McSweeney’s requests for a reasonable accommodations request, namely for Defendants to respect and not interfere with Ms McSweeney’s sobriety.”
A representative from Bravo denied Leah’s allegations in a statement to The Daily Mail. “Bravo did everything possible to support Leah’s sobriety and her outlandish claims are not going to get her anything. They will not pay her off. They will not pay her anything … [Leah] knew that [her] time with Bravo was up and retaliated because [she] could not accept it.”
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF LEAH’S CLAIMS? DO YOU THINK LUANN AND SONJA WILL RESPOND?
