Marciano Brunette has followed through on his threat to sue Demi Engemann.
Weeks after revealing he was planning to sue the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star for claiming he sexually assaulted her, which he says is completely false, Marciano has officially filed his lawsuit.
According to PEOPLE, Marciano is accusing Demi of using her platform on social media and television (Hulu) to falsely accuse him of sexual misconduct.
In the lawsuit, the 32-year-old Vanderpump Villa star claims that he and Demi, 31, “shared a consensual kiss” while they were both appearing on Vanderpump Villa. Marciano goes on to allege that due to wanting a storyline, Demi “reframed the obviously consensual interaction as one of sexual misconduct and then as sexual assault.”
During the most recent and third season of the mega popular Hulu series SLOMW, Demi made multiple accusations against Marciano, accusing him of “unwanted touch.”
He is also suing the producer of the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jeff Jenkins, as he claims Jeff’s production company, Jeff Jenkins Productions, chose to air Demi’s accusations despite knowing the claims were false.
Marciano also noted in his suit that Demi didn’t begin calling their interaction a sexual assault until “months later,” shortly after he posted about being “uninvited” from a Hulu event “cus a 30yo mormon wife’s scared I’ll tell her husband the truth” on his Instagram page.
Demi responded to Marciano’s claims on the show, alleging he wasn’t invited because he’s a “sexual predator that can’t keep his hands to himself.”
Even more, Marciano calls out Demi for allegedly lying by suggesting he had also “sexually assaulted others” by commenting on Instagram that she was “[a]nxious to see how many other women come forward, I know without a doubt I’m not the first.”
As for evidence, TMZ reports that Marciano included alleged text messages Demi sent to him shortly after leaving Italy. He claims it shows she kept in touch with him for months after their encounter via texts, phone calls, and FaceTime while also inviting him to visit her in California and Utah.
In one of the texts, Demi allegedly wrote: “Thank you!! It’ll be fun! Omg you should come to our premiere event for sure!! Would be so fun!”
Marciano adds that Demi even shared her location with him, insisting her “behavior confirms a continued relationship, not a person reacting to sexual assault.”
Marciano is now seeking unspecified financial damages from Demi and the show’s producer as he says their alleged false claims against him resulted in “lost professional opportunities, harassment by strangers, and lasting harm to Marciano’s reputation.”
He is also seeking a “narrowly tailored injunction” that prohibits them from “repeating and republishing all of the statements that are adjudicated by this Court to be defamatory.”
Recently, Lisa Vanderpump came to Marciano’s defense after saying she had seen all the footage.
“Oh, I categorically know what happened, because we have cameras everywhere, and I’ve seen every ounce of the footage,” said Lisa to Access Hollywood. “So I think when the women are doubting her, I think they’ve got very good reason.