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Earlier this year, we reported that Thomas Ravenel was accused of sexually assaulting his children’s nanny  and then firing her. That harrowing account was the second accusation of rape to come out against him. Now, Nanny Dawn is suing Thomas over the assault — and the lawsuit also includes Bravo and NBC. Here’s why: RadarOnline reports that Ravenel’s children’s former nanny, Dawn Ledwell, is suing the disgraced former reality star for “assault, slander, and libel.” In court documents, Thomas is accused of having “violently and aggressively” ripped off her clothes in the January 2015 incident. He then allegedly forced his hand between her legs to assault her genitals, “causing severe and significant injuries.” Per the documents, Thomas then attempted “to engage in sexual intercourse” against her will. Ledwell’s team says that hs “conduct was so extreme and outrageous as to exceed all bounds of decency.” “And,” documents read, his behavior “must be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.” That’s all heinous, and we already know that Thomas Ravenel will go to trial over the alleged assault. But why are Bravo and NBC included in all of this? Court papers claim that the production company and network “created, permitted and encouraged Southern Charm plot lines.” These were plotlines, they say, “that focus on alcohol, sexual encounters.” “And,” documents accuse. “The concept that male cast members, including Defendant Ravenel, suffer from ‘Peter Pan Syndrome.'” The papers continue: “and they are the ‘Lost Boys’ and Charleston is their ‘Neverland.'” In the court documents, Ledwell says that, December of 2015, she informed an employee of “Corporate Defendants” about the allegations. The corporate defendants would be Bravo, NBCUniversal and Comcast. We have no idea what sort of employee her team means. However, the documents accuse that the companies “failed to investigate.” It may be difficult to prove that this matter was passed up the ladder to the appropriate individuals. But it sounds like the accusation is that executives didn’t want to stir the pot with a scandal and cared more about ratings than justice. Ledwell’s team believes that Thomas Ravenel knowingly benefitted from corporate greed. “Corporate Defendants and Ravenel have conspired with one another to deter the investigations of assaults committed by Defendant Ravenel,” documents read. Ledwell reports that she has not been contacted “since the public disclosure of the allegations of assault in or around May 4, 2018.” While Bravo did make it clear in 2018 that Thomas would never return to Southern Charm , this was only after the scandal came to light. Did execs feel that public pressure and #MeToo forced their hand, or was this just the first that the right people had learned of the allegations? A statement was released at the time of the allegations against Thomas Ravenel. “Haymaker, the production company for Southern Charm, and Bravo take allegations like these very seriously,” the statement read. It continued: “Haymaker is conducting an investigation, and once all the information is gathered and carefully reviewed, appropriate action will be taken.” Since then, of course, Thomas has not appeared on Southern Charm . Dawn Ledwell has requested a jury trial for the lawsuit. Proving sexual assault is extremely difficult in our legal system. Ledwell is already in the minority, in that her allegations led to an arrest. (The vast majority of sexual assaults are not even reported to police, and even fewer lead to arrests and trials) Proving this conspiracy to cover things up seems like a longshot, even if it is true. Unless there is an employee willing to blab or a particularly damning corporate email, it sounds very tricky. As always, we hope to see justice done. View Slideshow: Southern Charm Season 6: Everything We Know About the Return of Reality TV’s Most Scandalous Show!

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Thomas Ravenel: Sued by Nanny For Sexual Assault, Cover-Up