Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Star Lisa Vanderpump Named in Sexual Assault and Battery Suit by Ex-Employee of her Restaurant

Restaurateur-turned-reality star is on the receiving end of a $5 million suit filed by a former server who worked at her Beverly Hills eatery

Lisa Vanderpump is being pumped for some serious cash.

A former waitress and actress who worked at the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star's swanky Villa Blanca eatery in Beverly Hills is suing for $5 million, claiming she was sexually assaulted and battered by the restaurant's manager.

In the lawsuit filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by E! News, Karina Bustillos alleges that restaurant manager Michael Govia—who is also named in the suit—tried to kiss Bustillos in April. She turned away his advances; two days later, she complained to management He subsequently called her several expletives including b---h and c—t while talking to another server. Additionally, he allegedly suggested he could "get her" if he wanted to

Read the complaint

In August, court papers also claim, Govia "pulled [the] plaintiff towards his body, causing Govia's body to have offensive contact with plaintiff's body, including her breasts and groin area." On another occasion, Bustillos claims, Govia accosted her at the computer in the bar well, where he "aggressively twisted Plaintiff's wrists," according to the complaint.

After Bustillos complained to another manager—especially after she asked that she be compensated for the shifts she had to miss so she wouldn't have to work with Govia—the complaint states that Vanderpump and her husband and co-owner, Ken Todd, ignored their employee's concerns and refused to discipline Govia.

The resulting brouhaha prompted Bustillo to resign from her job.

She's now seeking more than $5 million in general damages, unspecified punitive damages, interest and court costs.

Bustillo's lawyers were unavailable for comment.

A rep for Villa Blanca tells E! News, "We are looking into the matter and taking it seriously, but so far there is nothing to support her claims."

A source adds, "Every employee at the restaurant undergoes a sexual harassment course. All the footage on the security cameras at the restaurant have been analyzed, and there is no evidence whatsoever that this took place." 

—Additional reporting by Melanie Bromley