Andy Cohen and Bravo’s Request to Temporarily Pause Leah McSweeney Lawsuit Is Denied by Judge

A judge has denied Andy Cohen’s request to hit pause on his ongoing lawsuit with Leah McSweeney.

In a court document obtained by PEOPLE, a New York judge dismissed the Bravo mogul’s request to stay discovery, or temporarily stop the process of obtaining evidence in the legal battle, until a decision is made on the motion to dismiss that he submitted in May.

The judge stated that Cohen and his fellow defendants, which include Shed Media, NBCUniversal Media, Bravo and other subsidiaries, “have not shown good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss.”

“The burden is on the Defendants to show good cause for discovery to be stayed pending decision on a motion to dismiss,” the court official continued, noting that a stay must be justified based on “the breath of discovery and the burden responding to it,” “prejudice, if any, to the opposing party of an order granting a stay; and the strength of the motion.”

The judge also cited one of Cohen’s First Amendment defenses in his original motion to dismiss, and stated that he “would need to prevail on a number of their arguments, not just those based on the First Amendment” for the motion to dispose of the action against him.

According to the documents, the defendants have not proved that they will not be able to respond to discovery by the time the Court makes a decision on the motion to dismiss.

“While this case is at its early stages, briefing on the motion to dismiss is advanced,” the letter stated. “Defendants’ reply memorandum of law in support of the motion to dismiss is due to be filed by September 13, 2024.”

PEOPLE has reached out to reps for Cohen, Bravo and Shed Media. A rep for McSweeney had no comment when reached by PEOPLE.

In May, Cohen asked a judge to dismiss McSweeney’s previous claims that she had faced sex/gender, religious and disability discrimination in a “hostile work environment” during her time on the Real Housewives franchise.

The motion came about three months after McSweeney sued Cohen, Bravo, Shed Media and other subsidiaries in February for allegedly establishing a “rotted” workplace culture where cast members were pressured to consume alcohol and other drugs.

The Real Housewives of New York alum also claimed in the complaint that the defendants failed to maintain a safe working environment and accommodate her disabilities, including “alcohol use disorder” and “mental health disorders” in order to “create morbidly salacious reality television.”

Shortly after Cohen filed a motion to stay, McSweeney’s attorneys issued a response which argued that Cohen’s motion should be denied as he “failed to…establish good cause,” the motion is “premature” and it could lead McSweeney to “be prejudiced.”