Vanderpump Villa star Marciano Brunette settled his defamation lawsuit against Secret Lives of Mormon Wives alum Demi Engemann.
Us obtained court documents filed by Brunette’s lawyers in a Utah State District Court on Wednesday, August 5, confirming that he has reached a settlement with Engemann, 31, and Mormon Wives producers to resolve “all claims among them.” (TMZ first reported the news.)
A spokesperson for Engemann exclusively told Us on Thursday, August 6, “Demi Engemann, Jeff Jenkins Productions LLC, and Marciano Brunette have reached an agreement out of court resolving all claims among them. The parties will have no further comment on the matter.”
The petition asks for a judge to delay ruling on Engemann’s previous request to dismiss the lawsuit because “the parties have settled and anticipate filing a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice within twenty-five days.” The parties’ intent to file a settlement agreement with prejudice means that there will be no option for Brunette to refile his lawsuit.
“[Engemann’s] pending motions will be moot upon that filing, and deciding them in the interim would expend the Court’s and the Parties’ resources on questions the settlement resolves,” Brunette’s lawyers argued.
In their legal filing, Brunette’s attorneys stressed that the court can also avoid creating “confusion and inconsistent results” by delaying any decision on Engemann’s dismissal request.
Us reached out to representatives for Brunette and Engemann for comment.
Brunette, 33, filed suit against Engemann in December 2025, accusing her of damaging his reputation by falsely accusing him of being a “sexual predator.” In their petition, Brunette’s lawyers denied that the Mormon Wives star had received an “unwanted touch” from their client while filming a Vanderpump Villa episode in Italy in 2024.
“The truth is straightforward. Engemann and Marciano met while filming in Italy. They flirted. They spoke privately. They shared a consensual kiss. They separated,” his lawsuit read. “After filming, Engemann stayed in contact with Marciano for months through calls, FaceTime, texts, invitations, and even location sharing. That behavior confirms a continued relationship, not a person reacting to sexual assault.”
His legal team argued that Brunette faced significant reputational damage for being accused of “criminal sexual conduct he did not commit.”
“They were published broadly, republished repeatedly, and framed to harden into ‘truth’ in the minds of viewers,” the documents read. “The damage has been immediate and severe, including lost professional opportunities, harassment by strangers, and lasting harm to Marciano’s reputation.”
These allegations became a central story line in the third and fourth seasons of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, especially as Engemann’s costar Jessi Draper pursued a romantic relationship with Brunette.
News of the legal settlement comes on the same day as Mormon Wives star Layla Taylor confirmed the cast is coming back for season 6.
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“We’re not done with season 5, and we’re filming for season 6 right now,” Taylor, 25, announced on the Wednesday, August 5, episode of Hulu’s “Get Real” podcast.
Production on Mormon Wives season 5 was temporarily halted in February when cast member Taylor Frankie Paul was involved in a domestic violence investigation with ex-boyfriend Dakota Mortensen in Utah. (No charges were filed, and the case was eventually closed.)
Paul’s fellow MomTok members ultimately returned to finish shooting season 5, while Paul herself filmed her part of Mormon Wives’ opening credits in July.
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