Below Deck reality star Gary King has been accused of sexually assaulting makeup artist Samantha Suarez in a new lawsuit filed Tuesday.
Suarez and King previously worked together on the Bravo show’s spinoff series Sailing Yacht.
Suarez and her boyfriend Grey Duddleston, who was a cameraman on the show, claimed they were wrongfully fired from the show after they came forward about King’s alleged misconduct.
Together, the two filed lawsuits against King, Bravo, NBCUniversal, and Below Deck’s production company, 51 Minds, alleging 16 counts of action total, including harassment, retaliation, sexual battery, assault, wrongful termination, and emotional distress.
The Independent has contacted Bravo and NBCUniversal for a comment.
According to the complaint obtained by People, Suarez claimed production had told her to bring a bundle of bottled water and snacks to King’s hotel room while they were filming season four of Below Deck Sailing Yacht on July 3, 2022.
Once she arrived at his room, she claimed King insisted Suarez bring the refreshments inside. When she stepped in the room, King allegedly “grabbed her, held her restrained by her upper body and arms and pressed his entire body against her” and wouldn’t let her leave. Suarez claimed King was “highly intoxicated” under the influence of alcohol.
In the lawsuit, Suarez goes on to allege she tried to “fight her way out” by “kicking and elbowing King and screaming at him to get off of her.” Once she was able to break free from his hold, King allegedly closed the door and leaned on it with “his entire body weight” to prevent her from fleeing.
Suarez claimed she “braced herself” because she was then “sure she was about to be raped.” However, according to her filing, she then allegedly received a call from someone on her phone and answered it as King moved from the door.
The complaint alleged King followed Suarez into the hallway wearing just his underwear. Suarez also claimed that King touched her shoulders and back and asked, “What's wrong sweetie?” before eventually returning to his hotel room.
Suarez is suing the network for a hostile work environment, retaliation and wrongful termination, while King returned for season five of the show, which concluded in January.
King has denied the allegations.
Suarez allegedly reported the incident to the show’s co-executive producer, Ryan Veercamp, and Duddleston, the day before she met with more of the executive board. The filing claimed production had told Suarez that King had supposedly confessed to “everything” in a conversation with showrunner Courtland Cox.
According to the lawsuit, Suarez received an email from Cox after they spoke in which he alleged King had not only confirmed the allegation, but also apologized for the incident. Cox then supposedly told Suarez King would be fired if similar misconduct occurred in the future.
Duddleston claimed he saw King exhibit “disturbing, sexually aggressive behavior” two weeks after Cox’s email was sent to Suarez. The filing alleged Duddleston told production about witnessing King supposedly “grope” two female staff members, grab two camera operators’ genitals, remove the bikini top off his fellow castmate, and make inappropriate comments to an audio worker.
Duddleston allegedly reported these incidents to production as they happened and told Brenda Lacy Davis, 51 Minds’ head of human resources. He also reportedly alerted Banijay America, lead investigator in Suarez’s case.
According to the filing, Davis allegedly told Suarez that they started an investigation into Duddleston’s alleged “inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system.” The two then supposedly talked again on July 20, 2022, during which Davis supposedly accused Suarez of “tainting the investigation” and “instructed her to remain silent.”
The complaint stated Suarez and Duddleston allegedly learned that they had been placed on a “do not hire” list and would not be asked to return next season once production wrapped.
Both Suarez and Duddleston have requested money compensation from the court for injuries. Additionally, they’ve asked for losses and civil penalties, punitive damages, interest, and attorney and expert fees be paid to them by the defendants.
