Gary King is now facing a lawsuit from two former staff members on Below Deck Sailing Yacht.
Hair and makeup artist Samantha Suarez and camera operator Grey Duddleston have sued Gary, Bravo Media, NBCUniversal, 51 Minds and Endemol Shine over 16 causes of action, including sexual battery, assault, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination and emotional distress, among others.
The alleged actions took place while filming the fourth season of the Bravo reality series, and made public in August 2023 when Samantha came forward with her allegations.
Keep reading to find out more…
In the new lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles County, Samantha alleges that on “July 3, 2022, Suarez was held hostage in a hotel room by Gary King, a longtime cast member, known drunkard, and serial harasser. Samantha was required to help deliver water and snacks to cast members. As she went to King’s room to deliver his snacks and a case of water, King opened the door in his underwear and refused to take the water from her hands at the door. So Suarez walked past him and put the case of water on a nearby counter.”
“King was set on not letting her leave his room. When she turned to leave, he lunged towards her, used his arms to grab her by her upper body, and restrained her with his tight grip around her body and arms. Suarez was terrified and instinctively screamed and fought to pry his grip loose so she could get away from him. 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. Suarez was sure she would be raped.”
Samantha immediately reported the incident to production company 51 Minds, who opened an investigation. The suit claims Gary admitted to what he did, but instead of being fired, he was just given a warning.
Grey Duddleston, who was Samantha‘s boyfriend at the time, also “witnessed King untie the bikini tops of two female cast members without their consent, make lewd remarks to a female audio technician, and grab the genitals of two male camera operators,” according to the lawsuit.
He reported the incidents over the walkie-talkie system per standard procedure, and once again, Gary was not terminated, but the production company opened an investigation against Grey for “inappropriate use of the walkie-talkie system.”
After not hearing anything from production for two weeks, Samantha was asked by colleagues where she had been, and she answered honestly. This, per the suit, did not sit well with production, who she was told did not classify the incident as an assault and she was tainting the investigation.
She then returned to the US and learned that Gary would not be fired, but instead she and Grey were being terminated, and put on a “do not hire” list and have remained unemployable in their field.
Samantha and Grey have claimed they’ve been blacklisted from production work, meanwhile, Gary returned to Below Deck Sailing Yacht for season five.
They are seeking punitive and compensatory damages for “emotional distress, lost wages, and reputational harm, along with accountability from the production companies for fostering a hostile work environment and failing to prevent harassment.”
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