July 1, 2022
NeNe Leakes Negotiating With Bravo, Andy Cohen, and NBCUniversal to Settle Discrimination Lawsuit
NeNe Leakes’s lawsuit claiming key players at Bravo and on The Real Housewives of Atlanta allowed racial comments and innuendos during filming that created a hostile work environment is close to being settled, Page Six reported.
Andy Cohen, Bravo, and NBCUniversal are trying to potentially settle the discrimination lawsuit. An Atlanta judge granted the parties an extension of 45 day on Monday after the defendants asked for more time to “negotiate” the disagreement. They have until November 19.
On Monday, the defendants, in a motion filed before the court, stated based on the agreement in the contract, the ongoing disputes are “already subject to arbitration in New York.”
Leakes “disagrees” with the notion of arbitration, and believes the two parties are “in the process of negotiating this issue in an attempt to avoid the time and expense of a motion to compel arbitration” through their respective counsel.
The judge granted the extension after both sides “agreed” that a 45-day extension is “appropriate to complete these discussions.”
In April, the reality television star sued the production companies and the network behind The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In the lawsuit, Leakes stated the network enabled and tolerated a hostile and racist work environment.
Leakes filed the lawsuit in a federal court in Atlanta. She said she complained to television executives about years of racist comments from her white castmate, Kim Zolciak-Biermann. No action was taken against Zolciak-Biermann, yet Leakes claims she suffered the consequences.
The defendants named in the lawsuit are NBCUniversal, Bravo, production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original, executives from the companies, and Housewives executive producer, Andy Cohen, who is also a star on Bravo.
The 54-year-old Leakes was on the show for seven seasons between 2008 and 2020. The lawsuit states Leakes’ complaints contributed her being forced off the show in 2020 before its 13th season.