“Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” Star Sued for Sexual Harassment

The reality star, Lisa Vanderpump, who came to fame via the “Real Housewives” franchise, is being sued by a former employee for sexual harassment. Despite denying the claims and asserting they are false, Vanderpump is seeking to settle the case because she “just wants the case behind her.”

A former employee of Vandepump’s restaurant, “Villa Blanco” in Beverly Hills, filed a suit in April 2012, claiming that the male manager subjected her to a hostile work environment when she rebuffed his sexual advances. The plaintiff/employee, Karina Bustillos, claimed that manager Michael Govia attempted to kiss her and when she refused and reported the incident to Vanderpump, the Real Housewife ignored her complaints.

Manager Govia then subjected Ms. Bustillos to hostile behaviors, including calling her derogatory names for females, telling other servers that he “could have her”, and physically grabbing her in a rough manner.

Bustillos allegedly reported all this to Vanderpump who did not seem concerned and refused to listen. When Vanderpump responded to the allegations, she argued that the security cameras indicated no sexual harassment and that Bustillos was merely a “disgruntled employee.”

Despite arguing that she had no knowledge of the situation and slamming the Plaintiff for admitting to bad behavior on previous jobs (getting fired for drinking while at work), Vanderpump is offering a $40,001 offer to settle the case before formal litigation.