“Below Deck” alum Emile Koetzee is suing NBCUniversal for $633 million over allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the hit reality show.
The former reality star, who appeared on Season 3 of the show in 2015, filed an amended federal lawsuit against the network in October 2025 in the Southern District of New York, according to court documents obtained by Page Six. His first charges were filed in June 2025.
Kotze, 34, alleges in her amended complaint that she was subjected to a “hostile work environment rife with sexual harassment, manipulation, and unsafe conditions” while appearing on the show.
The professional yacht deckhand further alleged that NBCUniversal failed to protect him from abuse, defamation and misuse of his likeness, and “engaged in a campaign of concealment and retaliation to silence and discredit him in seeking redress.”
The former “Below Deck” star claimed elsewhere in the federal complaint that he was tricked into appearing on the popular Bravo series under “false pretenses” that it was a documentary about yachting life.
Kotze claimed in his lawsuit that the show’s producers “began to steer” him into a “romantic entanglement” with co-star Raquel “Rocky” Dakota.
Kotze accused NBCUniversal and “Below Deck” producers of discriminating against him because of his South African origins, and claimed that season 3 of the Bravo series was edited to falsely portray him as “misogynistic” and “immature.”
Mr Kotze claimed his “once promising yachting career” had been “shattered” and he had been “effectively blacklisted” from the industry, costing him “an estimated $123 million in lost future income”.
He also cited “lasting mental suffering,” including “out-of-pocket medical costs for medical and psychological treatment of trauma” and “PTSD, anxiety, and depression” resulting from NBCUniversal’s alleged actions.
Kotze is seeking a total of $633 million from the network for the sexual harassment she suffered while appearing on the show, including $123 million in lost revenue, $500 million in punitive damages, and $10 million in compensatory damages.
TMZ first reported Kotze’s lawsuit.
Meanwhile, NBCUniversal filed a motion in November 2025 to dismiss Koetzee’s nearly multi-million dollar lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six from Koetzee’s original June 2025 complaint, the network argued that the federal complaint, filed 10 years after Season 3 premiered, is past the statute of limitations.
NBCUniversal also cited the First Amendment.
“As a general matter, the First Amendment prohibits the government, including the judicial branch, from dictating what we see, read, say, and hear,” the network argued.
Representatives for NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
