Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis have fired back at their former nanny’s civil lawsuit!
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ on Thursday, the co-parents slammed Ericka Genaro, their former caretaker, who has been airing their dirty laundry in the media alongside her lawsuit, in which she alleges she was wrongfully terminated — and that the couple violated other California labor laws.
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In the new docs, Olivia and Jason claim the suit should never have been filed in California and argue if Ericka wanted to sue them, she should’ve taken the issue up with a private arbitrator in New York. Furthermore, the couple said in a joint statement to the outlet:
“It is unfortunate that this private matter continues to play out in the press. Our focus has been and will continue to be to steadfastly protect our family in the face of harassment of any kind. We are confident that the evidence brought forward will affirm our position to summarily dismiss this case and bring our family peace.”
The nanny had worked for the couple, who share son Otis, 9, and daughter Daisy, 6, from 2018 to 2021. In February, she finally filed a lawsuit in which she declared everything was going fine with her job until the actors’ relationship crumbled and Harry Styles entered the picture. Ericka has said she was dragged into the drama of the breakup. Being stuck in the middle of a messy split, she says, caused her emotional distress and “extreme anxiety,” leading her to ask for a medical leave. She claims the Ted Lasso star then fired her on the spot.
But Jason and Olivia aren’t standing by and letting her control the narrative. Per TMZ, they say they didn’t start to have issues with Genaro until after she asked for something other than leave — for her salary to be doubled again and to be paid tax-free! Whoa! It’s unclear exactly when she made the demand, but they say they flat-out refused. The Booksmart director and the We’re The Millers alum claim they paid Ericka generously, even doubling her salary at the end of 2020. They also gave her regular raises and made sure she was taken care of — even after she resigned.
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Yes, resigned. Insisting she wasn’t fired but actually walked away from the job herself, the exes now say they paid for her and her dog to stay for a few weeks at the Rosewood Hotel in London even after she stopped working for them, footing her bill worth over $22,000 of in-room food and alcohol charges. Wowza! She was also reportedly reimbursed for $17,000 of charges for travel arrangements she made from London to the US.
The performers went on to say Ericka broke her contract by speaking to the press and threatened them by expressing her willingness to “dish” about her time as their nanny, telling them she “can be ruthless.”
What’s worse, they say, is the nanny has a criminal record! But they claim they were unaware of this when they hired her because she said she had a clean background! Yikes! Obviously, they should have done a proper background check of their own, but if they can prove she lied then this will likely call all her other statements into question. They’re now seeking to have the lawsuit moved to a private arbitrator, where the case could be settled outside of court.
Seems like Olivia and Jason were already prepared to play hardball with one another — what’s one more legal combatant, right?
Thoughts on their revelations? Let us know (below)!
[Image via Kelly Clarkson Show/BBC Radio 1/YouTube]