by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
SDNY COURTHOUSE, March 31 – Arguing that she was pressured into drinking alcohol while on the "Real Housewives of New York" show, Leah McSweeney has sued NBC, Bravo, Andy Cohen and others. The defendant argue that they are protected by the First Amendment.
On August 13, this was argued before U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge Lewis J. Liman, who mentioned a possible conflict of interest while calling the free speech / anti-SLAPP defense "interesting." Inner City Press was there. From the thread:
Judge Liman: How much of this is about the shows the Defendants put up?
McSweeney's lawyer: Discriminatory speech is not protected. So we do not think discovery should be stayed. Judge: What discovery are you going to need?
McSweeney's lawyer: On air and off air footage. Some of the conduct intended to retaliate against Ms. McSweeney was coordinated with others. So, third party discovery.
Bravo / Cohen lawyer Levin: This is implicates the First Amendment. It could chill free speech. There are anti-SLAPP laws
On March 31, 2025, "The motion to dismiss is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART. A summary table reflecting the outcome of Defendants' motion is included below at Appendix I. Any motion to file an amended pleading must be filed within two weeks" - 100 page order on Patreon here
The case is McSweeney v. Cohen, et al., 1:24-cv-1503 (Liman)
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