Days after it was reported that Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins alum Tonya Cooley filed a lawsuit against MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions, the production company is responding and dismissing her claims completely.
Tonya alleges that her fellow The Ruins cast mates Kenny Santucci and Evan Starkman “took another male participant’s toothbrush and rubbed the toothbrush around plaintiff’s genitals, including rubbing her labia and inserting the toothbrush into plaintiff’s vagina.”
Tonya claims she was passed out at the time of incident but MTV cameras captured the “rape” and did nothing to stop it – nor was she told about what happened. She reports that the following morning she found “lacerations and rash-like abrasions on her labia,” and had no idea how they got there. Later she learned that both the camera crews and other cast mates had witnessed the assault.
On the day of incident in question, Tonya’s complaint asserts that on a non-competition day MTV provided the cast members with copious amounts of alcohol before noon and offered limited food, resulting in her becoming “very intoxicated.” She also alleges that on that same day another male co-star “forcibly removed” her bikini top while the group was hanging out at the pool, which prompted her to retire to the cast’s accommodations where she “passed out on the floor.” It was during this time that the alleged rape occurred, according to Tonya’s suit.
Prior to the incident Tonya states she complained about the treatment she and other female cast members received at the hands of male counterparts and both MTV and Bunim/Murray told her to “just deal with it.”
The Reality Blurred blog also pointed out that Tonya’s lawsuit reveals she actually filed a complaint on May 7, 2010 with California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing, before filing this lawsuit last week. Some had wondered why Tonya waited so long since the alleged incident occurred in late 2009, and this proves she didn’t. In the original complaint, Tonya alleged “unlawful termination, harassment, failure to prevent discrimination or retaliation, retaliation and sexual assault.” It appears she tried to resolve her complaint with MTV before going the lawsuit route.
Well, a rep for Bunim/Murray is, of course, denying any culpability on the producer’s part, claiming “a thorough investigation” was conducted and that investigation “found Tonya Cooley’s claims to be completely baseless.” MTV has yet to respond do the accusations, stating they do not have a “comment” on the lawsuit. I see they take sexually assault allegations very seriously…
So seriously, in fact, that both Kenny and Evan appeared on Challenge: The Rivals, which aired this summer.
THOUGHTS ON THE ADDITIONAL DETAILS REVEALED ABOUT TONYA’S ALLEGATIONS? ARE YOU SURPRISED THE NETWORK AND THE PRODUCTION COMPANY HAVE NO COMMENT? DO YOU BELIEVE HER CLAIMS ARE “BASELESS”?
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