Michael Sanchez, the brother of Jeff Bezos’s current girlfriend, Lauren Sanchez, is suing the Amazon CEO for defamation.
Filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Friday, January 31st, the complaint accuses Bezos and his security consultant, Gavin de Becker, of spreading false rumors that Sanchez shared nude photos of Bezos and his sister with the National Enquirer. The National Enquirer also obtained text messages between the two that were used to reveal that the then-married Bezos was having an affair.
In his lawsuit, Sanchez insists he didn’t leak the photos, and that by telling journalists otherwise, Bezos and Becker painted him as a back-stabber.
According to The New York Times, a lawyer for Bezos, William Isaacson, said that they are planning to respond to the lawsuit. The Times also included a statement from Ms. Sanchez in which the sister maintains that her brother shared the photos with tabloids.
“Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirer – a deep and unforgivable betrayal. My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace,” Ms. Sanchez said in the statement.
The Times also reported that Michael Sanchez signed a contract in October 2018 with American Media for $200,000, in which he gave the company the right to publish text messages and photographs “documenting an affair between Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.” American Media, who owns the National Enquirer, recently stated that Mr. Sanchez was the “single source” for their story.
The New York Times Business Insider
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