Newlyweds Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez want R3,3m in damages from her brother
The Amazon founder and his wife are demanding R3,3 million in legal costs from Lauren's estranged brother, Michael Sanchez, following years of bitter court battles which have torn the family apart.
While R3,3 million might be pocket change for the world's third-richest man, the couple's lawyers aren't letting it slide.
They recently filed a motion demanding that Michael pay R3,2 million in attorney's fees as well as R143 594 in legal costs.
The motion, which was filed in July, says that these costs came about because of a successful Special Motion to Strike and a later motion for attorney's fees.
The filings refer to California's Anti-SLAPP law, which protects people from lawsuits that try to scare or silence them about things that are important to the public.
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The family drama began in early 2019, just as Jeff announced his divorce from MacKenzie Scott after 25 years of marriage.
At the time, the tech mogul was rumoured to be romantically involved with Lauren, who had separated from her then-husband, Hollywood agent Patrick Whitesell.
Their budding romance took a dramatic turn when American tabloid, The National Enquirer, threatened to publish intimate photos and explicit text messages between the couple.
Jeff beat the tabloid to the punch and published descriptions of the images himself, along with his correspondence with the tabloid's owners on Medium.
'I had nothing to do with the leak of the pics,' Michael said previously.
'There are, like, 20 d*ck pics. Lauren likely shared them with multiple girlfriends – not in a malicious way, that's not her style, but when she's in love, she got a kick out of sharing them.'
He claims Lauren once tried to show him one of the images. 'I was like, 'What the f**k is wrong with you? I don't want to see that!''
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A post shared by Lauren Sánchez Bezos (@laurensanchezbezos)
In 2020, Michael unsuccessfully sued Jeff for defamation. The following year, Jeff was awarded R3,9 million in legal fees, but the back-and-forth litigation continued.
Michael has denied leaking the pictures but it's been reported that he had signed a nondisclosure agreement about the couple's alleged affair.
However, Michael claims he worked with the tabloid to help his sister, not harm her.
Lauren's version of events paints a different picture.
'Michael 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,' she said in a lawyer's letter.
Despite the ongoing family chaos, the newlyweds seem unfazed by the legal drama.
They've been spotted partying across Europe, from exclusive Ibiza nightclubs to double dates with Leonardo DiCaprio and his girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, aboard Jeff's R8,7-billion superyacht.
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