Defamation Lawsuit Against Jeff Bezos Over Leaked Nudes Scandal Dismissed by Judge

The lawsuit was filed in January by Michael Sanchez, brother of Bezos' girlfriend Lauren Sanchez. The former suggested that the billionaire inaccurately told the media that he'd leaked the businessman's intimate photos to the National Enquirer in January 2019.

California Judge John Doyle dismissed a defamation lawsuit against the world's richest man earlier this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. The judge noted that the allegations of Bezos accusing Sanchez of leaking his private photos, are baseless, brushing them off as hearsay. A lawyer for Michael Sanchez, Tom Warren stated that an appeal will be filed over the decision.  

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, right and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez poses for photographs during a blue carpet event organized by Amazon Prime Video in Mumbai

© AP Photo / Rafiq Maqbool

The leak of private photos and messages exposed Bezos' affair with Lauren Sanchez while he was still married to MacKenzie Bezos, whom he divorced soon afterward.

According to Michael Sanchez, a security consultant hired by the billionaire spread false statements that Sanchez had provided the photos to the press. The businessman, however, said in court filings that he never accused his girlfriend's brother of leaking the said photos.

At the same time, a lawyer for Lauren Sanchez said that Michael had committed a "deep and unforgivable betrayal".