NBCUniversal Media LLC, Bravo Media LLC and Mountain View Productions LLC are among the entities seeking dismissal of the claims of a former “Below Deck” crew member and to force the allegations of another into arbitration, all of which center around contentions that the defendants covered up another cast member’s alleged sexual misconduct.
Samantha Suarez and Grey Duddleston filed the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit on March 24 against the entities as well as the other cast member, Gary King, whom they allege is a “known drunkard and serial harasser.” The suit’s allegations include sexual battery, retaliation, harassment and negligent hiring, retention and supervision.
The show chronicles the lives of the crew members who work and reside aboard a superyacht during charter season.
Suarez, a Georgia resident, cannot sue in a California court because her claims involve alleged conduct by King on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, more than 6,000 miles away, according to the defense attorneys’ court papers filed Aug. 15 with Judge Wendy Chang.
“A determination that Suarez can avail herself of California’s laws with these allegations would transform the California court system into the International Court of Justice … and encourage the very forum-shopping that resulted in the instant lawsuit,” the entities’ lawyers further contend in their court papers.
Meanwhile, Duddleston signed an agreement with Mountain View in May 2022 in which he concurred that any work-related disputes would be addressed by an arbitrator rather than a jury, the defense attorneys further state in their court papers.
“Duddleston is (prevented) from attempting to avoid arbitration not only as to Mountain View, but also against the other entity defendants,” according to the defense attorneys’ pleadings.
A hearing on the motion to compel arbitration of Duddleston’s claims is scheduled Oct. 7 and a hearing on the motion to dismiss Suarez’s allegations is set for April 28, 2026.
In the summer of 2022 while filming “Below Deck Sailing Yacht Season Four,” Suarez was a hair and makeup artist and Duddleston a camera operator. According to the complaint, when Suarez went to King’s hotel room to drop off a case of water and snacks, he opened the door in his underwear and refused to take the water. Suarez claims she walked past King to put the water inside the room and on her way out, King allegedly lunged toward her and physically restrained her.
“Suarez managed to break free, ran towards the door and started to pull the door open when King, who was chasing her, got both his hands on the door and slammed it shut keeping her trapped, menacingly laughing and staring at her with evil dilated eyes,” the complaint alleges. “Suarez was sure she would be raped.”
Suarez says she reported the encounter, but that King was not fired. Duddleston, who was Suarez’s boyfriend at the time, alleges that he saw King undo two female cast members’ bikini tops, make inappropriate remarks to another crew member and fondle two male camera operators’ private parts.
After reporting King’s alleged misconduct with the crew’s walkie-talkie system, Duddleston was investigated for alleged inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system, the suit further alleges.
Suarez and Duddleston say they were both later terminated and that they remain “virtually unemployable in their field.”