Credit: Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA, Steven Bergman/AFF-USA.COM / MEGA
When The Real Housewives of New York City star Leah McSweeney sued Andy Cohen and Bravo, she made allegations regarding him and cocaine.
Specifically, she alleged Andy used cocaine with Housewives and other Bravo stars, and that he gave better treatment and edits to those whom he partied with and used drugs with.
TMZ obtained court documents in which Andy finally responded to the shocking allegations Leah made against him.
According to the court docs, Andy claimed that Leah’s evidence to support her cocaine allegations were from “two anonymous cast members who ‘privately confirmed’ her allegations, one former cast member who called Cohen a ‘cocaine head’ after she was not recast as a Housewife, and a ‘public video’ created by an unspecified person that references Cohen’s supposed cocaine use.”
Andy noted Leah did not bring up any instance where she herself saw him use the illicit drug.
As TMZ previously reported in March, Andy sent a letter via his attorneys to Leah saying they believed her allegation of cocaine use was false and defamatory.
“[W]e demand that you immediately retract and withdraw all allegations relating to Mr. Cohen’s purported ‘cocaine use,'” the letter read. They noted that if she did not take back her statements, they were planning to take her to court.
“To be clear: these allegations are categorically false,” the letter continued. “Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee. The absence of any reasonable basis to make such allegations is confirmed by your pleading itself.”
His lawyers also pointed out at the time that Leah did not provide any details regarding her allegation of cocaine use, which they felt alluded to her not having anything solid to support her accusation, as they insisted it was not true. They also alleged that Leah accused him of this so that her lawsuit would garner headlines and she’d possibly get a quick settlement.
The letter ended with stating the following: “The truth matters. Litigation cannot be used to create fake news. And it cannot be used as a vehicle to spread false and malicious lies, in furtherance of a shakedown. We demand that you issue an immediate public retraction and apologize to Mr. Cohen. Every day you fail to do so only increases the damages suffered by Mr. Cohen.”
Sarah M. Matz, who is representing Leah, responded to TMZ at the time, stating, “That Andy Cohen had his counsel and PR agents write a threatening letter to give to the press is hardly surprising. Mr. Cohen is accustomed to using his power in the media to scare and intimidate people like Ms. McSweeney so that they will not speak out. Mr. Cohen’s attempt to discredit and intimidate Ms. McSweeney to deter her from engaging in legally protected activity in Court is exactly the type of retaliation that this lawsuit was brought to address and only is further evidence for Ms. McSweeney. We do not intend to litigate this matter in the press, and if Mr. Cohen wants to address Ms. McSweeney’s claims, we suggest he do so in Court, not in a letter for the press.”
While Bravo had requested the case with Leah be moved to arbitration, a federal judge ruled in March it would move forward to court.