‘Below Deck’ alum sues network for $850M over alleged sexual harassment

“Below Deck” alum Emile Kotze is suing NBCUniversal for $633 million over allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the popular 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 the Southern District of New York in October 2025, per court documents obtained by Page Six. His initial complaint was filed in June 2025.

Kotze, 34, claims in the amended lawsuit that during his time on the show, he was subjected to a “hostile work environment rife with sexual harassment, manipulation, and dangerous conditions.”

The professional yacht deckhand further alleged that NBCUniversal failed to protect him from abuse, defamed him, misappropriated his likeness and “engaged in a cover-up and retaliation campaign to silence and discredit him when he sought redress.”

Elsewhere in his federal complaint, the former “Below Deck” star alleged that he was tricked into participating in the popular Bravo series under “false pretenses” that it was a documentary about yachting life.

Kotze claimed in the lawsuit that the show’s producers “began steering” him into a “romantic entanglement” with co-star Raquel “Rocky” Dakota.

Besides accusing NBCUniversal and the “Below Deck” producers of discriminating against him for being from South Africa, Kotze claimed that Season 3 of the Bravo series was allegedly edited to falsely portray him as “misogynistic” and “immature.”

As for his “once-promising yachting career,” Kotze alleged that it was “destroyed” and that he “has been effectively blacklisted” from the industry “with an estimated $123 million in lost future earnings.”

He also cited “out-of-pocket medical costs for medical and psychological treatment of trauma” and “lasting emotional distress” that included “PTSD, anxiety and depression” resulting from NBCUniversal’s alleged actions.

Kotze is seeking $633 million from the network over the alleged sexual harassment he suffered while on the show: $123 million in alleged lost income, $500 million in punitive damages and $10 million in compensatory damages

TMZ was the first to report on Kotze’s lawsuit.

NBCUniversal, meanwhile, filed a motion to dismiss Kotze’s nearly multimillion-dollar lawsuit in November 2025.

The network argued that the federal complaint – which was filed 10 years after Season 3 first aired – came past the statute of limitations, per court documents obtained by Page Six from Kotze’s initial June 2025 complaint.

NBCUniversal also cited the First Amendment.

“As a general matter, the First Amendment forbids the government, including the Judicial Branch, from dictating what we see or read or speak or hear,” the network argued.

A rep for NBCUniversal did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.