‘RHOP’ Star Michael Darby Resumes Filming After Sexual Assault Charges Dropped

Michael Darby is reportedly back to filming The Real Housewives of Potomac after the sexual assault charges against him were dropped.

Darby was accused of groping a Bravo cameraman on the set of the reality show, where his wife, Ashley Darby is a star. The network pulled Michael off the show during both an internal and police investigation; however, according to a new report by PEOPLE, the charges were dropped this week due to “insufficient evidence.” Darby is now back in front of the cameras.

“Our good name and reputation have been upheld through the abandonment of this case by the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s office,” 59-year-old Darby said in a statement on Monday. “It is unfortunate that high-profile people are often sought out as targets, and in this situation, someone tried to take advantage of me.”

The charges against Darby could have landed him in jail for as many as 11 years if they had gone all the way. He was reportedly facing felony assault and misdemeanor improper sexual conduct. Prosecutors formally dropped their case on Oct. 4 in the Montgomery County court, exactly a month after the complaint against him was first filed.

“As I turned around he smiled and gave me a flirtatious look,” the anonymous cameraman wrote of the encounter, which he said happened three days prior. The man accused Darby of intentionally groping him without consent, and cited the meaningful eye contact as further proof. The cameraman also sought a restraining order against Darby, though that was denied on Sep. 28. The cameraman’s attorney, Ramon Korionoff, said that every lead they had on the case turned up dry.

“The case was dismissed due to insufficient evidence,” he said. “The complaining witness states there were no witnesses who actually saw the incident, however that he did inform his supervisors immediately after. He provided several contact numbers for his supervisors, however no one ever called us back. We called the complaining witness to update him, however he hasn’t returned our call.”

Meanwhile, Darby’s lawyer, Mike Rowan, insisted that the case was dropped because there was no truth to it.

“The charges were dropped. They were baseless. There were a number of alleged witnesses who said it did not happen,” he said. “The peace order request by the alleged victim was also denied. There was simply nothing that happened, and nothing here.”

Season 4 of Real Housewives of Potomac is currently filming.