Chicago Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and currently the world’s richest man, has been sued for defamation by Michael Sanchez, the brother of Bezos’s girlfriend/fiancé. In his complaint, filed in a California state court, Sanchez alleges that Bezos has falsely spread rumors that Sanchez obtained and provided explicit text messages from and nude photos of Bezos to The National Enquirer. Sanchez claims that the allegedly defamatory comments have caused him to lose clients and be shunned by family and friends. In addition to Bezos, the suit also names Gavin de Becker, a security consultant hired by Bezos, and ten other “john does” as defendants.
The complaint, which reads like a lurid tell-all, is replete with salacious details concerning the Amazon founder. The complaint alleges numerous previously unknown details including when Bezos’s affair with Sanchez’s sister Lauren began, that Bezos and Lauren allegedly consulted a psychic concerning the affair and that Bezos and Lauren are currently engaged. And although the lawsuit requests actual and punitive damages, it does not specify how much money is being sought.
The lawsuit alleges that Bezos began his extramarital affair with Lauren in 2017 when her production company was hired to do work for Bezos’s space exploration company. Bezos and Lauren decided to keep the relationship secret based on advice from a psychic in New Mexico, according to the complaint. At the time, Bezos was still married to his now ex-wife MacKenzie Bezos. Sanchez, who claims that he has acted as Lauren’s agent since at least 2010, claims that he agreed to keep the affair secret to protect his sister’s personal and professional reputation. Instead, the complaint alleges that Sanchez “was instrumental in covering up first, the existence, and second, the timing of the affair.” Continue reading ›