The couple filed a motion on July 28 in California Superior Court requesting $182,374 in attorney’s fees and $8,182 in legal costs, Page Six reported.
Lauren’s lawyers have described the conflict as a “multi-year campaign of harassment in the hope he could extract a wholly undeserved financial settlement.”
The feud began shortly after Bezos announced his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scott in 2019.
At the time, Page Six reported that Bezos was already in a relationship with Lauren, who was separated from Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell. Tensions escalated when the National Enquirer allegedly threatened to publish explicit photos of Bezos and Lauren, prompting the Blue Origin founder to release descriptions of the images himself.
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Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscars Party. Photo from AFP |
While Michael denied leaking the pictures, the New York Times reported he had signed a nondisclosure agreement related to Bezos and Lauren’s alleged affair.
“I had nothing to do with the leak of the [pictures],” he told Vanity Fair. “That’s the important thing. I never had access.”
Michael sued Bezos for defamation in February 2020, but Los Angeles County Superior Court ruled in Bezos’s favor that November. In 2021, Bezos was awarded $218,385 in legal fees, though the dispute has continued with further filings.
Lauren, in a statement through her lawyer, called the alleged leak of her personal information “a deep and unforgivable betrayal,” adding: “My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace,” according to Hello! magazine.
Bezos, world’s fourth richest person with estimated net worth of $236.1 billion according to Forbes, and Lauren married in a $50 million, three-day celebration in Venice, Italy, from June 26-28. The star-studded wedding drew criticism from locals over tourism disruption and environmental concerns, with protests accusing the billionaire of turning the city into “another playground for the rich,” the Daily Mail reported.
