NewsJeff Bezos, Amazon CEO, Michael Sanchez, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez
Jan 26, 2021 11:58 PM EST
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is trying to recoup a massive sum in legal fees from the brother of his girlfriend, Michael Sanchez. The latter accused Bezos of defamation, but the lawsuit ended up being dismissed, hence Bezos' turn to go after Sanchez.
The case by MIchael Sanchez against Jeff Bezos did not prosper.
A California judge dismissed the defamation lawsuit in November. The judge ruled that Michael Sanchez's claims that journalists revealed to him Bezos' team had identified him as the leaker cannot be taken as sufficient evidence that such a crime did take place.
This time, with the case dismissed, Bezos is expecting retribution, as reported by Fox Business.
In a request filed in Los Angeles Superior Court last Friday, it was stated that Bezos is seeking to recover $1.7 million from Sanchez. This is reported by Bloomberg, which first obtained the legal document.
The filing even accused Sanchez of forcibly seeking settlement "by threatening discovery and public disclosure of private matters."
Before the case was dismissed, Bezos' camp accused Sanchez's charges were motivated by wealth and fame - essentially extortion.
According to Bezos' legal team, extortion "rears its head" in the lawsuit and Sanchez was trying to make the media environment ostracize Bezos while he "put himself back on the front pages."
Bezos' team also said that no matter how Sanchez spun the narrative, there was no denying that he was able to earn $200,000from the whole photo leak, as reported by CNBC.
This time, after making the request of legal fees, Sanchez's legal team is the one calling Bezos out.
"Mr. Bezos's fee request is obscene, even grotesque, on many levels," Tom Warren, Sanchez's attorney, said in a statement to Bloomberg News.
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Jeff Bezos' girlfriend's brother Michael Sanchez filed a defamation lawsuit against the CEO last February in relation to some photos that landed in the hands of the National Enquirer.
Based on the lawsuit, Bezos and his associates allegedly accused Sanchez was the one who leaked explicit photos of Bezos to the tablod.
It can be recalled that the tabloid's January 2019 issue exposed Bezos and his girlfriend's Lauren Sanchez's relationship. Jeff and Lauren remain in a relationship to date.
When the defamation case broke out, Lauren Sanchez took Bezos' side over her brother's.
"Michael is my older brother. He secretly provided my most personal information to the National Enquirer - a deep and unforgivable betrayal," Lauren Sanchez said in a statement, as provided by her lawyer, Terry Bird. "My family is hurting over this new baseless and untrue lawsuit, and we truly hope my brother finds peace."
The lawyer for the Amazon CEO, William Isaacson, told CNBC in a statement at the time, "My client has chosen to address this lawsuit in court and we will do that soon."
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