Caroline Manzo has filed a lawsuit against Bravo one year after she was allegedly “sexually abused” by Brandi Glanville while filming The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip.
The former Real Housewives of New Jersey star is suing several production companies including Bravo, Shed Media, Peacock and NBCUniversal after they allegedly “allowed, condoned and even encouraged” Glanville’s “sexually aggressive and offensive conduct” when they were filming the reality show in Morocco in January 2023, according to court documents obtained by Decider.
Manzo details her side of how things went down in the suit, claiming Glanville walked over to her on the evening of Jan. 24, 2023, spread her legs, leaned into her and laid her head on her inner thigh. After Manzo moved seats, Glanville allegedly followed her and then proceeded to “mount” her on the couch, while forcibly “thrusting her tongue” into her mouth and humping her, despite her objections.
After she was able to remove herself from the situation, Manzo recalls going to the bathroom to wash her hands, where Glanville allegedly followed her, pinned her against the door and “groped, grabbed and forcibly fondled Manzo’s vagina and breasts.” While the former reality star yelled for help, she says no one came to her rescue.
Manzo is now suing for negligence, sexual harassment, sex/gender discrimination, sexual battery and other causes of action that she says violate state laws in California and New York, per Page Six.
She claims the production companies “regularly ply” Housewives with alcohol then “direct, encourage, and/or allow them to sexually harass other cast members” to help with ratings, adding that Glanville’s tendency to “sexually harass others” should have been a red flag for producers from the start.
“Defendants never should have hired Ms. Glanville to participate in RHUGT, because they knew that she tended to sexually harass others,” the lawsuit reads.
While Manzo isn’t suing Glanville, she says the situation has caused “extreme emotional distress and other loss of enjoyment of life and other damages” — especially since it resulted in resurfaced trauma from when she was sexually abused as a seven-year-old.
Glanville has previously blamed producers for encouraging her wrongdoing, declaring herself “completely innocent” when it comes to the situation with Manzo.
Decider has reached out to Bravo and Glanville for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.