Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez sued by former yoga instructor

Lauren Sánchez is facing a lawsuit for allegedly stealing the idea for her children's book, "The Fly Who Flew to Space," according to a complaint obtained by Page Six and filed by her former yoga instructor on Tuesday.

Alanna Zabel, who says she taught Sánchez privately from 2007 to 2011, claims she had “oral and written discussions spanning sixteen years” with the former journalist about her book concept.

In the complaint, the yoga teacher alleges that it was in 2022 when she shared a detailed idea for a children's book about a “cat who flies to Mars,” titled "Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars."

Zabel also claims to have contacted Sánchez's fiancé, Jeff Bezos, about the possibility of donating the book's proceeds to the Bezos Earth Fund and Bezos Academy.

Although Zabel did not confirm whether she ever heard directly from the Amazon founder, she states his personal assistant informed her that “Mr. Bezos received her email,” which reassured her.

In the complaint, Zabel says she trusted Sánchez with her “intellectual property and concept” despite past instances where Sánchez, 54, allegedly displayed “continual and outrageous acts of jealousy.”

“The actions of defendant constitute intentional infliction of emotional distress as they were extreme and outrageous, carried out with the intent to harm plaintiff, driven by personal jealousy, and a personal desire to posture publicly as ‘philanthropic and caring,’” the yoga instructor claims, as she filed the suit without an attorney.

“In a nutshell, the defendant has always demonstrated a desire to appear like plaintiff, an authentic, independent, free-spirited, hardworking, and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”

This isn’t the first time Zabel has threatened legal action against Sánchez; in March, the yoga instructor sent a cease-and-desist letter when Sánchez first announced her new book.