Lauren Sanchez Is Being Taken to Court by Her Former Yoga Instructor
PHOTO: STEVE GRANITZ/FILMMAGIC
Lauren Sanchez, entertainment reporter and fiancée of Jeff Bezos, is facing a lawsuit from her former yoga trainer, Alanna Zabel, who alleges that Sanchez plagiarized her children’s book concept. Zabel claims that Sanchez’s recently released book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, is a ripoff of her own 2022 children’s book, Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars.
According to the lawsuit, Zabel had pitched a children’s book idea to Sanchez in 2022 about a cat flying to Mars. When Sanchez published The Fly Who Flew to Space in August 2023, Zabel took legal action, sending two cease-and-desist letters to Sanchez, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Zabel, who is representing herself in court, also accuses Sanchez of displaying “continual and outrageous acts of jealousy” over the years. The two were reportedly linked from 2007 to 2010, though the nature of their relationship during that time remains unclear. Zabel didn’t provide specific examples of this jealousy but claimed Sanchez has long tried to mimic her as an “authentic, independent, free-spirited, hard-working and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”
In her lawsuit, Zabel also claims that the proceeds from Sanchez’s book were intended to benefit the Bezos Earth Fund and Bezos Academy, further adding to her frustration over the alleged plagiarism.
Zabel’s grievances with Sanchez extend beyond the plagiarism allegations. Months before the lawsuit, Zabel publicly voiced her anger when Sanchez announced her children’s book in January 2023. “I’m deeply offended, and I am taking legal action with the book,” Zabel said in an interview with the Daily Mail in April.
In addition, Zabel revealed that she had previously ended her professional relationship with Sanchez due to ongoing “gossiping” and personality conflicts, stating that she “couldn’t handle her personality anymore.”
The lawsuit adds to the ongoing drama between the two women, with Zabel seeking legal resolution over what she claims is an idea that Sanchez unfairly appropriated.
