Bravo’s lawyers just got hit with another lawsuit. Below Deck Season 3 deckhand Emile Kotze just filed a lawsuit against the show’s producers, along with NBCUniversal. He’s asking them to fork over a jaw-dropping $850 million in damages. Yes, you read that right. $850 million.
Emile Kotze claims he was portrayed as “sexually aggressive” on Below Deck
Over 10 years after appearing on Below Deck, Emile filed a federal lawsuit in New York, according to court documents reviewed by TMZ. In the lawsuit, Emile claims he was misled about what the show would entail.
He was 23 at the time, and supposedly, producers told him they were shooting a documentary. Allegedly, he learned it was a reality show once he got there and the cameras started rolling.
Among Emile’s claims, he said that producers pressured him into a showmance, encouraged heavy drinking, and put him into sexually charged scenarios. When the show aired, he felt like it was edited in a “highly misleading manner to craft a false, defamatory portrayal.” He said the show portrayed him as “immature, incompetent, and sexually aggressive.”
According to Emile, his portrayal on Below Deck had a direct impact on his livelihood. He claimed that the yachting industry blacklisted him after Season 3 aired. He also said he was diagnosed with “PTSD, anxiety, and depression directly linked to the show experience.”
Obviously, NBCU and the Below Deck producers aren’t forking over $850 million without a fight. They clapped back in court and argued that Emile’s claims were both untrue and past the statute of limitations.
When addressing his complaints about editing, they said it was within their First Amendment rights to “shape and convey their creative works” however they want. NBCU’s lawyers used a similar defense in Leah McSweeney’s still-to-be-decided discrimination lawsuit.
A judge hasn’t ruled on Emile’s case. Stay tuned to see if this former deckhand ends up $850 million richer.
Below Deck is streaming on Peacock.
TELL US – DO YOU REMEMBER EMILE FROM BELOW DECK SEASON 3? DO YOU THINK HE HAS A CHANCE WITH HIS LAWSUIT?
