Caroline Manzo is suing Bravo after alleging Brandi Glanville sexually harassed her during filming of the Housewives spinoff Ultimate Girls Trip.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey star claims Glanville, 51, was encouraged to harass her by production who plied them with alcohol as they filmed in Morocco, TMZ claim.
Manzo, 62, claims in her lawsuit that the former the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star forced herself on her and kissed her and without consent – and even ‘forced her vagina against her back.’
According to court documents obtained by PageSix, Glanville 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.’
A representative for Glanville shared a statement exclusively with DailyMail.com on Friday, calling the accusations ‘absurd’ and insisting ‘there was no sexual assault’.
Caroline Manzo SUING Bravo over Brandi Glanville’s alleged sexual harassment during filming of Ultimate Girls Trip
‘Sadly, Brandi had to wake up to yet another lawsuit that includes defamatory, false accusations about her,’ the statement read.
‘While filming, Brandi followed what the producers asked of her, and there was no sexual assault,’ it continued.
The statement also called out Bravo, streaming service Peacock as well as media company Shed for not sharing any ‘word of support’.
It further claimed that Manzo’s accusations have negatively impacted Glanville’s health.
‘She is innocent of these absurd accusations that have weighed on her mental and physical health for far too long without word of support from Peacock, Shed or Bravo,’ the statement read. ‘
‘This painful storytelling seems endless and needs to stop. She is looking to move on and upward and get her life back.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Bravo for comment.
The documents state: ‘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.’
‘Caroline Manzo is a victim of those harmful actions,’ it added.
In documents obtained by The Daily Beast, the suit claims the incident occurred on January 24 when Manzo and her castmates were watching a snake handler perform at a bar.
‘Clearly intoxicated, Glanville walked over to Manzo, spread Manzo’s legs and leaned into Manzo,’ the lawsuit says of the incident. ‘.. Glanville proceeded to kiss Manzo with a closed mouth. Glanville then kissed Manzo again. Manzo was very uncomfortable. Glanville 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.’
Manzo became ‘distraught, scared, and confused’ and retreated to the bathroom to steady herself, the lawsuit claimed, adding she endured sexual assault as a child.
‘As Manzo stood at the sink washing her hands, Glanville entered the bathroom and 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,’ the suit added.
‘Immediately, Manzo tried to exit the bathroom. The bathroom door was locked. Glanville pinned Manzo’s body against the door. Glanville pressed her breasts and vagina against Manzo…. Glanville then reached around Manzo’s body and then groped, grabbed, and forcibly fondled Manzo’s vagina and breasts. At the same time, Glanville pushed her face into Manzo’s neck in order to kiss her. From inside the bathroom, Manzo cried, ‘HELP, HELP, HELP, HELP,’ but no one ever came.’
Manzo was eventually able to remove herself, but found the production crew continued to film instead of help her.
The lawsuit notes production ‘continued filming [her] throughout even though she was in distress from the sexual assaults.’ She was told by two production members that Glanville was simply ‘showing love.’
Manzo says she returned to the United States several days later and was filmed by production as she headed to the airport with the crew hopeful to gather ‘more ‘drama’ to increase their ratings.’
Manzo was shaken by the incident and no longer wanted to continue participating in filming, the lawsuit claims.
She ended up passing on a spa day with her castmates and struggled to focus on a meal she was set to make that evening, the lawsuit adds.
‘Manzo felt overwhelmed and wanted to address the situation regarding Glanville so they could all move forward,’ the lawsuit adds.
‘Housewives of Atlanta, Phaedra Parks, and Eva Marcille began interrogating Manzo which made Manzo feel very uncomfortable. Manzo was unable to cook due to her emotional distress which was compounded by Phaedra and Eva’s hostility,’ it said.
The incidents ultimately became woven into the story, and Manzo was ‘disgusted at how [her] sexual assault… and its aftermath was being used for entertainment purposes.’
‘Defendants continued to film Manzo and video record her experiences in order to profit from the ‘entertainment’ of Manzo’s sexual assault experience,’ the suit added.
Manzo says she returned to the United States several days later and was filmed by production as she headed to the airport with the crew hopeful to capture ‘more ‘drama’ to increase their ratings’, according to Page Six.
Glanville previously said she had done nothing wrong and insisted she was innocent
Manzo isn’t suing Glanville in her lawsuit – she is suing Bravo, production, and showrunners, claiming they encouraged her ‘sexually offensive and harassing content.’
Page Six reports Manzo is suing for negligence, sexual harassment, sex/gender discrimination, and sexual battery. She is also suing for other causes of action that allegedly go against California and New York state laws.
‘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!’ Derek Smith, an attorney for Manzo, told the outlet.
The lawsuit also contains accusations Glanville made against the networks on X, according to Page Six.
The suit added that Manzo ‘has a right to feel safe at work’ and the networks allegedly demonstrated a ‘willful and wanton indifference’ towards that.
She has asked for damages in a number to be decided in court, according to The Daily Beast. She is seeking damages for anxiety, worry, embarrassment, humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional distress, and more, according to The Daily Beast.
Manzo, a RHONJ alum, pictured at BravoCon 2022
News of the incident first broke last year, and Glanville has insisted she did nothing wrong and was innocent.
‘The producers ask you to do something. And then you get in trouble for it!!!’ she posted on X in December. ‘The producers need to follow the rules!’
Last February, Brandi’s rep said the reality star ‘vehemently denies any wrongdoing’ after the allegations came to light.
‘Brandi has been prohibited from sharing her side of the story and in turn, people have only heard unsubstantiated versions,’ her rep told People as they addressed Brandi’s absence from The Traitors reunion amid the RHUGT controversy. ‘Brandi maintains her innocence and vehemently denies any wrongdoing.’
In November, Page Six reported that Peacock was contemplating axing RHUGT: Morocco altogether due to the controversy.
Last February, Brandi’s rep said the reality star ‘vehemently denies any wrongdoing’ after the allegations came to light
This isn’t the first lawsuit filed against the network over the Housewives franchise. Last year butler Marco Vega – who worked and appeared on season two of Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip – filed a lawsuit for sexual assault and harassment.
In his lawsuit, Vega said he was ‘sexually harassed and abused’ while shooting the show at Dorinda Medley’s Blue Stone Manor claiming he was slapped on the buttocks by Phaedra Parks and that he was ‘forcibly stripped’ by Glanville, who ripped his shirt off.
Leah McSweeney filed a discrimination complaint with Bravo last year, alleging she was forced to miss her grandmother’s funeral due to filming commitments.
A lawsuit filed by McSweeney is said to be imminent, Page Six reported at the time.
Back in August, a bombshell letter revealed that 80 reality stars had teamed up to accuse the network of ‘covering up sexual violence, condoning revenge porn, exploiting minors and denying mental health treatment’.
Bethenny Frankel was believed to have led the charge, though the former RHONY star has since clarified that she is not one of the people who is officially taking legal action against Bravo or NBC.