Below Deck star Gary King ‘accused of sexual battery’ in explosive lawsuit

In a recent lawsuit, reality TV star Gary King is charged with sexually assaulting a makeup artist.

The Below Deck star, 36, has appeared on spin-off show Sailing Yacht since 2021, serving as the First Officer on a luxury boat. On Tuesday, makeup artist Samantha Suarez lodged a lawsuit against King, the network Bravo which airs the series, NBCUniversal who own Bravo, and Below Deck’s production company, 51 Minds.

Suarez was allegedly instructed to bring water bottles to King’s room while filming the series in 2022. Then, according to the allegations, he demanded entry to his room before restrainting her and pressing himself against her. King and Bravo’s representatives have been contacted by The Mirror for comment.

It is claimed that King was reprimanded for his behaviour, and that Suarez’s boyfriend, Grey Duddleston, who worked as a camera operator on the reality show, witnessed King acting in a “sexually aggressive manner”. After they both complained, the couple claimed they were not invited back to work on the franchise and that they were put on a “do not hire” list.

Court documents show that Suarez and Duddleston’s claim alleges 16 counts of action including harassment, retaliation, sexual battery, assault, wrongful termination, and emotional distress – and that they have requested a jury trial to determine an outcome. Suarez’s claim against King is alleged in details in which he “grabbed her, restrained her with her upper body and arms, and pressed her with her entire body.”

It is claimed Suarez had to “fight her way out” and engaged in “kicking and elbowing… and screaming” as she battled to get free. Then King is advised to “push his entire body weight” against the door to avert her exit. According to King, she allegedly was only able to elude when a call came through her cell phone, which she then answered, leading to her back.

The paperwork claims that Suarez lodged a complaint with co-executive producer, Ryan Veerkamp. According to reports, King’s complaint was taken seriously, and Suarez was informed that King had “admitted everything.”

Then it is claimed that two weeks later, Duddleston claims to have witnessed King “grope” two other women working on the show, “pull a swimsuit top off a cast member, make lewd remarks to an audio technician, and grab the genitals of two camera operators” all while allegedly “under the influence” of alcohol.

When Duddleston allegedly complained about what he saw, his concerns were disregarded, according to the report. Suarez and Duddleston were not asked back to work on upcoming seasons after the final season four filming was over.

The papers reveal that Suarez and Duddleston are taking action to “seek actual damages, compensatory damages, punitive damages, injunctive relief, any combination of those, or any other appropriate relief”. And it is also stated: “Suarez has suffered injury, including, without limitation, lost wages, lost benefits, lost earningcapacity, and other compensation and benefits in an amount to be determined at trial”.

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Source: Mirror