Andy Cohen and Bravo's Request to Temporarily Pause Leah McSweeney Lawsuit Is Denied by Judge

Mar. 15, 2025

(L) Andy Cohen and Leah McSweeney.Photo:Charles Sykes/Bravo/Getty; John Nacion/WireImage

Charles Sykes/Bravo/Getty; John Nacion/WireImage

A judge has deniedAndy Cohen’srequest to hit pauseon his ongoing lawsuit withLeah McSweeney.

The judge stated that Cohen and his fellow defendants, which include Shed Media, NBCUniversal Media, Bravo and other subsidiaries, “have not shown good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss.”

“The burden is on the Defendants to show good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss,” the court official continued, noting that a stay must be justified based on “the breath of discovery and the burden responding to it,” “prejudice, if any, to the opposing party of an order granting a stay; and the strength of the motion.”

From left: Andy Cohen, Dolores Catania and Leah McSweeney.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

The judge also cited one of Cohen’s First Amendment defenses in his original motion to dismiss, and stated that he “would need to prevail on a number of their arguments, not just those based on the First Amendment” for the motion to dispose of the action against him.

(L) Leah McSweeney and Andy Cohen.Charles Sykes/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty

In May, Cohen asked a judge to dismiss McSweeney’s previous claims that she had faced sex/gender, religious and disability discrimination in a “hostile work environment” during her time on theReal Housewivesfranchise.

The motion came about three months afterMcSweeney sued Cohen, Bravo, Shed Media and other subsidiaries in February for allegedly establishing a “rotted” workplace culture where cast members were pressured to consume alcohol and other drugs.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

TheReal Housewives of New Yorkalum also claimed in the complaint that the defendants failed to maintain a safe working environment and accommodate her disabilities, including “alcohol use disorder” and “mental health disorders” in order to “create morbidly salacious reality television.”

Shortly after Cohen filed a motion to stay, McSweeney’s attorneysissued a responsewhich argued that Cohen’s motion should be denied as he “failed to…establish good cause,” the motion is “premature” and it could lead McSweeney to “be prejudiced.”

source: people.com