“Vanderpump Villa” star Marciano Brunette has sued Demi Engemann and the “Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” production company for defamation over sexual assault claims made on the show.
In legal documents shared by Brunette’s legal team, Dynamis LLP, Engemann — who has appeared on both “Vanderpump Villa” and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” — and Jeff Jenkins Productions allegedly damaged his reputation by calling him a “sexual predator” and accusing him of sexual assault on Season 3 of “Mormon Wives.”
Representatives for Hulu, Engemann and Jenkins did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Brunette denies Engemann’s claims of sexual assault, in which she previously said she was subjected to unwanted touch by him while filming Season 2 of “Vanderpump Villa.” Per his attorney, Brunette maintains that their encounter was consensual and that it was “later twisted into something it wasn’t.”
“His core story is simple: they met while filming ‘Vanderpump Villa’ in Italy in August 2024, flirted, talked privately, and kissed consensually,” Brunette’s attorney writes in a summary for the lawsuit. “He says she even told him ‘I love you,’ and he responded in kind. He says there was no non-consensual contact, no assault, and nothing ‘predatory’ about any of it.”
According to the complaint, Brunette and Engemann maintained friendly correspondence for months, which included repeated phone calls, FaceTimes, texts and invitations to visit. His attorney defends this correspondence showed “warmth and familiarity, not fear or avoidance.”
However, the complaint alleges Engemann, who is married, then “reframed the obviously consensual interaction as one of sexual misconduct and then as sexual assault” after facing “public (and private) criticism over her conduct.”
“She used that accusation to attack Marciano’s credibility, suggesting others would ‘come forward’ and portrayed anyone who questioned her account as acting in bad faith,” the complaint adds.
Brunette also called out Jeff Jenkins Productions in his suit, noting the producer for “Mormon Wives” “amplified the same accusations for profit.”
“It built major storylines around Engemann’s claims, republished her sexual predator statements,” the complaint noted, “and aired the allegations in a way designed to maximize impact while cutting Marciano out and denying him any meaningful opportunity to respond.”
Brunette claims production had “obvious reasons to doubt Engemann’s account, including inconsistencies, delay, and facts known to Production that undermined the claims.”
Through this lawsuit, in which Brunette alleges he’s suffered from mental anguish and reputational harm, the “Vanderpump Villa” star seeks damages, as well as an injunction to stop Engemann/Jeff Jenkins Productions from repeating the statements.
