Lauren Sanchez sued by former yoga instructor over children’s book: ‘Motivated by personal jealousy’
Lauren Sanchez is being sued for allegedly stealing the concept for her new children’s book, “The Fly Who Flew to Space,” according to the complaint obtained by Page Six and filed Tuesday by her former yoga teacher.
Alanna Zabel — who says she privately tutored Sanchez from 2007 to 2011 — alleges she had “verbal and written discussions for sixteen years” with the former reporter about the idea for her book.
The yoga instructor claimed in the complaint, however, that in 2022 she had a “specific” concept about “a cat who flies to Mars” for her children’s book, titled “Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars.”
Zabel claims he also spoke to Sanchez’s fiancé, Jeff Bezos, about “donating the proceeds from the sale of the book to the Bezos Earth Fund and the Bezos Academy.”
Although the yoga teacher did not confirm if she ever contacted the Amazon founder, 60, she claims his personal assistant told her that “Mr Bezos received her email”, which gave her reassurance.
Zabel said in the complaint that she was “trusting him with intellectual property and concepts,” despite Sanchez, 54, allegedly showing “constant and abusive acts of jealousy” toward her in the past.
Yogi filed the petition without an attorney, arguing that “Defendant’s actions constitute intentional infliction of emotional distress because they were excessive and outrageous, were done with the intent to harm Plaintiff, were motivated by personal jealousy, and were motivated by a personal desire to publicly appear as ‘benevolent and caring.'”
“In short, Defendant has always demonstrated a desire to appear like Plaintiff, an authentic, independent, outgoing, hard-working and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”
This isn’t the first time Zabel has threatened to take legal action against Sanchez, previously in March when the media personality first announced her new book, the trainer sent her a cease and desist letter.
“I still can’t believe it!!! I’m so excited to share the cover of my first children’s book, ‘The Fly Who Flew to Space,'” Sanchez wrote via Instagram at the time.
“I am so grateful because this story is a piece of my heart. It is a celebration of overcoming challenges, the joy of learning, and dreaming beyond the stars.”
“The Fly Who Flew to Space” was officially released on Sept. 10, and Sanchez said on his press tour that he has a deep personal connection to the book’s story.
On Tuesday, the socialite told “Extra” about how she found out she had dyslexia, “I always thought I was stupid.” She then shared that a teacher once told her, “You’re not stupid, you just can’t spell.”
“Everyone said it’s a learning disability — it’s not. It’s a learning difference and that’s what this book is about,” Sanchez explained.
“This is for kids who feel uncomfortable because they’re not learning like the other kids in the class, but they’re going to be OK.”
Zabel alleges in his lawsuit that Sanchez “made obvious changes to his PR content, focusing on dyslexia, despite the fact that his book makes no mention of dyslexia at all.”
He claims the incident caused him significant emotional distress, serious emotional harm, and impacted his personal and professional objectives, reputation, and well-being.
The yoga teacher is seeking “reasonable” compensation and relief, but has not specified an exact monetary amount. She is also seeking a trial by jury.
Representatives for Sanchez did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Zabel also made headlines previously when he had a feud with his former client Adam Levine, with him publicly claiming that the 45-year-old Maroon 5 frontman treated him “like garbage.” He once compared the situation with his former roommate to the 2022 University of Idaho massacre.
