Lauren Sánchez’s first picture book, “The Fly That Flew into Space,” published last week, promises to teach young readers to “shoot for the stars.”
But the former “Good Day LA” student’s former yoga instructor says his former student is more interested in appropriating other people’s intellectual property.
In a complaint filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, yoga instructor Alanna Zabel, author of seven children’s books, accused Sánchez of misappropriating a book concept she created more than a decade ago and shared with Sánchez in confidence.
Zabel claims it was a blatant scam, carried out in retaliation for her resignation as Sánchez’s yoga instructor years earlier. She resigned because of the media personality’s “continued and outrageous acts of jealousy,” according to court documents seen by The Times.
The fitness instructor is suing Sánchez for theft of ideas, theft of intellectual property and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages — unspecified, but confirmed in a separate court document to exceed $35,000 — as well as a declaration from Sánchez attributing the origin of her book to Zabel. She also asked Sánchez to pay her legal fees.
“This experience with Lauren is the straw that broke the camel’s back. She’s not the first celebrity to criticize my work or make me accept my offers, but she’s the last,” Zabel said in a statement to The Times on Thursday. “I’ve dedicated my life to teaching people to live true to themselves, inspiring children to live honest and compassionate lives, and I’ve done the hard personal work of living true to myself — turning down attractive people and situations that lack integrity. I’m not motivated by money or status; I’m motivated by truth.”
Zabel also said she plans to release a new title in the coming months that will detail the ordeal with Sánchez “and other true stories from my experience as a ‘celebrity yoga teacher.’”
Sánchez has not responded to the dispute and could not be reached for comment Thursday.
According to the court filing Tuesday, Zabel gave Sanchez private yoga lessons from 2007 to 2010, during which time the two women repeatedly discussed co-writing a children’s book through Zabel’s company, AZ I AM Inc.
In 2022, “Plaintiff reached out directly to Defendant via email, text message, and Instagram, sharing a specific book concept about a cat flying to Mars, reopening prior discussions,” the complaint states. Zabel also pitched the idea to Sánchez’s fiancée, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, suggesting that proceeds from the book be donated to the Bezos Earth Fund and the Bezos Academy, a network of free preschools.
Zabel received no response, except for a message from Bezos’ personal assistant saying he had received her email. So she continued with the book project and published Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars as a solo artist later that year.
The following January, Sánchez went public with his own project, publishing his book last week despite a cease-and-desist order obtained by Zabel in April against Sánchez’s publisher, Collective Book Studio.
“Defendant’s appropriation of Plaintiff’s book concept and disregard for Plaintiff’s intellectual property rights caused Plaintiff substantial emotional distress,” the complaint filed Tuesday said. “The betrayal and theft caused Plaintiff severe emotional harm, affecting his personal and professional goals, reputation, and well-being.”
The filing also claims that Sánchez’s book “contains more than 60 percent similar content and story to the book concept that plaintiff shared with defendant,” according to a “comparative analysis” of the two works. For example, both book covers feature a “graphic rocket logo on the main character’s chest.” (In his filing with the Times, Zabel shared a side by side comparison (from the two books published on the AZ I AM website.)
In addition to the emotional and financial damages, Zabel also said in her complaint that Sánchez had caused her significant “professional harm.” Pointing to the former entertainment journalist’s increased visibility due to her relationship with Bezos, Zabel said Sánchez’s actions “reflect an abuse of his power and fame to ignore and exploit a lesser-known creative individual.”
“By leveraging her public status and influence, the defendant was able to appropriate the plaintiff’s work without consequence, exploiting the disparity in their professional status,” she said.
As part of a promotional campaign, Sánchez has recently hosted numerous dinners attended by celebrities such as the Kardashian family.
Khloe Kardashian shared photos from a book release party on Tuesday Instagrampraising “The Fly That Went to Space” as “an inspiring and imaginative story that sparks curiosity and imagination while encouraging us all to reach for the stars.”
