Leah McSweeney Says the Truth 'Is on My Side' in Lawsuit Against Bravo and Andy Cohen

The former 'Real Housewives of New York' star recently filed a lawsuit alleging the franchise's producers foster a "rotted" workplace culture that encourages employees to consume alcohol, among other claims

Real Housewives of New York City alum Leah McSweeney is opening up her decision to take Andy Cohen and Bravo to court.

On Thursday's episode of the American Addiction Center's talk show Addiction Talk, McSweeney, 41, spoke candidly about the lawsuit she filed against the Real Housewives executive producer, 55, the franchise's network and production company, alleging that they fostered a "rotted" workplace culture that encourages employees to consume alcohol.

After the fashion designer shared that she's been "doing great" since filing the lawsuit in late February, thanks to her sober network and friends, she shared how she sees the legal proceedings concluding. The reality star said she feels as though everything will end in her favor, even as she's "going up against a very powerful entity" who had previously denied her allegations.

"As hard as it is to be going up against a very powerful entity, and for people to maybe also just not agree with me or, you know, come at me and get blowback and all the things, I don't care, because this is the truth." McSweeney shared. "I have it on my side and my intentions are really good."

Related: Real Housewives Star Leah McSweeney Sues Andy Cohen and Bravo for Discrimination, Alleges Culture Promoting Alcohol and Drug Use

The Married to the Mob founder continued, "I check myself all the time about that. And I use thing things that I learned in recovery about intention and about taking inventory and all of those things, and I'm in a really good place right now."

McSweeney continued to explain how her sober journey has given her the strength to address an issue that matters to her. "It's taken a long time to get here. It's, obviously, a journey and it's not linear. But the thing I've learned is to have a healthy fear of your addiction. And you can never feel like it's that far away. Because it's not," she said.

"I learned that the hard way," she continued, referring to how she relapsed during her time on RHONY, which she cites in the lawsuit she brought forth. "I was one of those people that was like, 'I'll never drink again. I will never drink, no matter what, I'm not drinking.' And then, boom, nine years later, I drank. So, I have a very healthy fear of my addiction and my alcoholism, but I'm doing good."

Related: RHONY's Leah McSweeney Reflects on 'Horrible' Relapse and 'Getting Totally Blackout Drunk' in Season 12 (Exclusive)

The Bravolebrity also opened up about the criticism she's received from fans of the Housewives franchise in recent weeks, and since Cohen demanded she retract the "false, offensive" claims that she made.

"Even when you're in a really good place, it still hurts," McSweeney said of the comments she sees on social media. "It's still not an enjoyable experience to have people coming at you, or be dealing with the situation that I'm in."

"It's a deeply ingrained thing to push back on women when they're like, 'This wasn't a good experience for me,'" she added. "I'm not trying to personally offend people who like watching these shows by saying, 'This wasn't a good experience for me.'"

McSweeney — who joined RHONY in 2019 for two seasons and appeared on season 3 of The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip — alleged in the suit, obtained by PEOPLE, that the defendants failed to maintain a safe working environment and accommodate her disabilities, including "alcohol use disorder" and "mental health disorders."

In addition to Cohen and Bravo Media, the suit also names NBC Universal Media, Warner Bros. Discovery, production company Shed Media US and producers John Paparazzo, Lisa Shannon and Darren Ward.

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The TV personality claimed in the filing that she told producers that she suffered from alcohol use disorder and had been sober for nine years until relapsing on season 12 of RHONY. Despite allegedly telling them that she hoped to regain her sobriety, McSweeney alleges that producers intervened by "intentionally planning scenarios intended to exacerbate [her] disabilities" to "create morbidly salacious reality television."

The designer also accused Cohen of using cocaine with select Housewives and providing them with "favorable treatment and edits."

Related: Andy Cohen Apologizes After Brandi Glanville Accuses Him of Sexual Harassment, Says Explicit Proposal Was ‘Meant in Jest’

Immediately after filing the suit, a rep for Cohen told PEOPLE that McSweeney's claims "are completely false." A week later, PEOPLE obtained a letter that the Watch What Happens Live host's attorney, Orin Snyder, sent to McSweeney, in which he said the filing is "littered with false, offensive, and defamatory statements."

Snyder also threatened further legal action if the Bravolebrity didn't “immediately” retract and withdraw claims about Cohen’s cocaine use.

"If you refuse to do so, Mr. Cohen reserves the right to hold you and your client accountable to the fullest extent of the law," the statement said. "To be clear: these allegations are categorically false. Mr. Cohen never used cocaine with any cast member on any Real Housewives show or with any other Bravo employee.”

The lawsuit remains ongoing.

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