Apparently it’s not just criminal charges Thomas Ravenel must contend with when it comes to his alleged sexual assault of a former nanny … a civil suit related to the incident is also reportedly in the works.
Oh, and according to our sources this action isn’t just naming the aging Charleston, South Carolina playboy as a defendant … we are reliably informed it is going after the show that fueled his rise (and which many believe may have enabled some of his bad behavior).
Nanny Dawn – who kickstarted the police investigation that led to second degree assault charges being filed against the former star of Bravo TV’s Southern Charm earlier this year – is reportedly preparing to file a civil complaint against Ravenel, Bravo TV and other defendants connected to the popular program, which depicts the lifestyles of the rich and (in)famous in the Lowcountry’s famed Holy City.
Entering its sixth season, Southern Charm has been a huge ratings success – due in no small part to the combative relationship between Ravenel and Kathryn Calhoun Dennis, the mother of the couple’s two young children.
Ravenel’s alleged off-camera behavior has resulted in the network severing ties with him, however.
This news outlet has not seen a copy of the envisioned complaint, however we are told it will be filed “within the month.”
As soon as we receive details related to the complaint (or a time-stamped copy of the pleading itself), we will be sure to pass that information along to our readers.
Ravenel is scheduled to appear in a Charleston County court later this week on his assault charge – which was ordered to trial earlier this month. Our guest columnist Amy Feinstein – who has been tracking all of the latest Ravenel-related developments – is expected to have a report on those proceedings.
Nanny Dawn (below) worked for Ravenel for several years and appeared on the first two seasons of Southern Charm. She shared her story about the alleged assault exclusively with Feinstein earlier this year.
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(Via: Provided)
“This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and I don’t even know if he will be charged, but I need to let others know they aren’t alone,” Dawn said at the time.
Ravenel was charged … and barring some sort of pre-trial plea agreement, he will stand trial on those charges.
According to a probable cause affidavit issued along with the warrant for his arrest back in September, Ravenel is alleged to have “grabbed (Dawn)’s hand and placed it on his penis before attempting to remove the (her) clothing.”
“While (Ravenel attempted) to remove (Dawn)’s clothing, (her) underwire bra cut into her skin and her shirt wrapped around her neck, which caused (her) to struggle to breathe,” the affidavit continued.
The affidavit goes on to describe the alleged sexual assault in graphic detail.
Neither Ravenel nor his attorney, Cameron Blazer, have commented for any of our reports since April – which is when we exclusively reported on a civil settlement reached in connection with another alleged sexual assault.
At the time, Ravenel issued a blanket denial against any such charges.
“I’ve never assaulted a woman in my life,” he told us.
Ravenel is racking up legal bills left and right. In addition to his criminal defense he is also reportedly involved in a civil matter related to Luzanne Otte – a California canon lawyer he briefly dated. On top of that we are told his custody battle with Dennis – which was temporarily resolved last year – is about to heat up again.
Ravenel, 56, was elected treasurer of South Carolina in 2006 (at the age of 42), but was forced to step down the following year after being arrested on drug charges. He ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in 2004 as a Republican – finishing third in a GOP primary election. In 2014 he ran as a petition candidate for the U.S. Senate, finishing a distant third place in that year’s general election.
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