Lauren Sanchez, the fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is being sued by her former yoga instructor for allegedly plagiarizing the instructor’s children’s book.
In the lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZAlanna Zabel alleges that Sanchez’s children’s book, The Fly Who Flew To Space, which was published in August, substantially plagiarizes her 2022 children’s book, Dharma Kitty Goes To Mars.
Zabel, who sent Sánchez two cease-and-desist letters prior to the publication of this latest book, claims to have reached out to the prominent entertainment journalist in 2022 to pitch him a children’s book concept about a cat that flies to Mars.
The yoga instructor, who says she taught Sanchez from 2007 to 2010, alleges in the lawsuit that the theft is related to Sanchez’s “continuous and outrageous acts of jealousy” over the years.
DailyMail.com has reached out to Zabel and a representative for Sanchez for comment.
Lauren Sanchez, the fiancée of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is being sued by her former yoga instructor for allegedly plagiarizing the instructor’s children’s book.
In the lawsuit, which was obtained by TMZ, Alanna Zabel alleges that Sanchez’s children’s book The Fly Who Flew To Space, which was published in August, substantially copies her 2022 children’s book Dharma Kitty Goes To Mars.
Zabel accuses Sánchez of copying parts of her book to get revenge on her for leaving her job as a yoga instructor more than a decade ago.
The investigator, who filed her complaint without a lawyer, did not specify what type of “jealousy” Sánchez allegedly displayed.
However, she does accuse Sánchez of having “always demonstrated a desire to appear (Zabel) as an authentic, independent, free-spirited, hard-working and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”
The relationship may have had a modest benefit for Bezos-affiliated charities, he says, saying proceeds from the book would have benefited the Bezos Earth Fund and the Bezos Academy.
Bezos used $10 billion in 2020 to create the Bezos Earth Fund, which provides grants to projects that combat climate change and preserve natural spaces, with an emphasis on projects to be completed within the current decade, rather than more speculative, long-term projects.
The former Amazon CEO’s Bezos Academy highlights the importance of early childhood education in children’s development and works to build Montessori-style preschools in underserved communities.
In April, Zabel told DailyMail.com she was furious when Sanchez announced her own children’s book in January 2023.
“I feel deeply offended and I am going to take legal action regarding the book,” she said at the time.
Zabel said she had spent time at Sanchez’s home while working as her instructor and had shared her love of children’s books and even discussed the possibility of helping Sanchez write a children’s book with her brother Michael.
She shared that she had terminated her services to Sanchez due to the incessant ‘gossip’ and added that she ‘could no longer stand his personality’, but Zabel added that the two had remained cordial in the years since.
However, he also called Sanchez a “toxic person.”
She says Sanchez never responded to the pitches she sent him for what became Dharma Kitty Goes To Mars, but says Bezos’ office did confirm receipt of the materials.
Zabel accuses Sanchez of copying parts of her book to get back at her for stopping being his yoga instructor more than a decade ago. She sent two cease and desist letters after Sanchez announced her book in January 2023, two months after Zabel’s was published.
The yoga instructor, who says she taught Sanchez from 2007 to 2010, alleges in the lawsuit that the theft is related to Sanchez’s “continuous and outrageous acts of jealousy” over the years; Sanchez photographed on September 12 in New York
Zabel accuses Sánchez of having “always demonstrated a desire to appear (Zabel) as an authentic, independent, free-spirited, hard-working and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”
Zabel told DailyMail.com in April that she had spent time at Sanchez’s home while working as her coach, and that she had shared her love of children’s books and even discussed the possibility of helping Sanchez write a children’s book with her brother Michael.
While Lauren never responded to Alanna’s emails or Instagram messages, Zabel claims Bezos’ office did respond to confirm receipt of an email sent in November 2022 about her book; Sanchez and Bezos photographed in March in Los Angeles.
Zabel’s lawsuit claims the media figure’s book features more than 60 percent similar text and story, though the methodology for arriving at that percentage is unclear.
However, as TMZ points out, several children’s books about characters venturing into space have been published in 2024 alone.
There have also been multiple children’s books featuring insects as main characters over the past year.
Zabel is known for teaching yoga to several celebrity clients, including Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and author Deepak Chopra.