CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged sexual assault.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht‘s Gary King has found himself in choppy waters as he enters a serious legal storm. A lawsuit filed against King, NBCUniversal, Bravo, and production company 51 Minds has sent shockwaves through the reality TV world. So here’s what the lawsuit reportedly claimed.
Former (TV) crew members Samantha Suarez, a hair and makeup artist, and her partner Grey Duddleston, a camera operator, have reportedly lodged a complaint with 16 counts of action. These include allegations of sexual battery, assault, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and emotional distress.
The lawsuit, obtained by PEOPLE magazine, details a disturbing incident that allegedly occurred on July 3, 2022, during the filming of Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season 4. Suarez claims she was instructed to deliver water and snacks to King’s hotel room, where she found him heavily intoxicated.
According to the complaint, King allegedly “grabbed her, held her restrained by her upper body and arms and pressed his entire body against her”.
Suarez claims in the lawsuit that she fought back, “kicking and elbowing King and screaming at him to get off of her”.
According to the law suit, the situation escalated further, with Suarez claiming she was “sure she was about to be raped” before a timely phone call allowed her to escape.
Suarez allegedly reported the situation in an email to the co-executive producer, Ryan Veercamp. Suarez claimed to have met with the leadership team the next day, and production claimed that King had admitted to “everything” in a conversation with showrunner Courtland Cox.
Suarez was allegedly sent an email after these discussions, in which Cox allegedly confirmed that King expressed remorse and apologised after confirming the accusations. She was allegedly told that King would be terminated if any further issues came up.
However, the lawsuit doesn’t stop there. Duddleston alleges he witnessed further “disturbing, sexually aggressive behaviour” from King in the following weeks. This included claims that King “grope[d]” two female crew members, pulled off a cast member’s swimsuit top, made “lewd remarks” to an audio technician and “grabbed the genitals of two camera operators while he was under the influence”, per PEOPLE.
When Duddleston reported these incidents, the lawsuit claims that instead of addressing King’s behaviour, production launched an investigation into Duddleston for “inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system”.
On July 20, 2022, Brenda Lacy Davis the head of human resources for 51 Minds’ parent company, Banijay America, allegedly contacted Suarez to reprimand her from discussing the incident with her partner, claiming she was “tainting the investigation and instructed her to remain silent”.
Suarez and Duddleston allege they were not invited back to the show and were placed on a “do not hire” list, effectively ending their careers in reality TV production.
Rolling Stone actually reported on Suarez’s allegations in August 2023. However, King remained a cast member and instead was was removed from the lineup of speakers at that year’s BravoCon.
This lawsuit is part of a broader movement dubbed “Reality Reckoning”, spearheaded by attorneys Bryan Freedman and Mark Geragos. It’s one of several similar suits filed over the past 18 months, challenging the alleged treatment of reality TV participants and crew members.
Former Real Housewives of New York City star Bethenny Frankel took aim at the industry’s use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in 2023. According to Page Six, Frankel also used Bryan Freedman as her lawyer to send a legal letter to Bravo and NBCUniversal, accusing them of violating California law by enforcing NDAs that prevent employees from disclosing “unlawful acts in the workplace”.
The letter claims that some content created on the network can include “racism, sexism, sexual violence, revenge porn, child labour, forced intoxication, and psychological, emotional and physical abuse”.
Bryan Freedman is also the lawyer currently representing Justin Baldoni in his case against his former co-star Blake Lively.
As for the Below Deck case, Gary has not yet directly addressed the allegations; although no doubt a defence to the lawsuit will be filed in due course. However he did post a vague Instagram in December of last year that fans took as him defending himself against accusations. See here:
As fans and industry insiders alike watch closely, the outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for the future of reality television production.
Lead image: Instagram
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