Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Sued by Their Former Nanny: Everything to Know

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Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Sued by Their Former Nanny: Everything to Know

A messy situation. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis called it quits in November 2020, but the pair have weathered their share of drama in the years since. Nearly two years after their split, the former couple's ex-nanny Ericka Genaro detailed her time as their employee in an explosive interview with the Daily Mail. The Don't Worry Darling director and the Saturday Night Live alum slammed her allegations at the time, but Genaro wasn't out of their lives just yet. In February 2023, Genaro filed a lawsuit against the twosome, claiming that they terminated her employment because of the anxiety and depression she allegedly developed while working for them. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly at the time, Genaro’s attorneys alleged that she “became increasingly anxious and stressed” after Wilde and Sudeikis ended their romantic relationship. The exes share son Otis, born in 2014, and daughter Daisy, born in 2016. [sendtonews type="float" key="8eTvpgLeH7-2830209-14453"] Genaro alleged in her complaint that the Booksmart director “abruptly left the home where she lived” with Sudeikis and the children in November 2020. “Wilde’s sudden absence from the home had an adverse consequence on its emotional state, including Sudeikis leaning on the presence of [Genaro] for support," read the documents. The childcare pro went on to allege that the Ted Lasso star asked her to “stay up at night after the kids were put to bed to talk” about his personal life, adding that she “felt compelled to engage” in these conversations even though they created “extreme anxiety to her as she ostensibly felt she had to ‘pick sides’ between the parents of the children she was ostensibly the primary caretaker.” After news of Genaro's lawsuit broke, Wilde and Sudeikis — who got in engaged in 2013 — did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Following her split from Sudeikis, Wilde moved on with Harry Styles, whom she directed in the film Don't Worry Darling. (The New York City native and the "Watermelon Sugar" singer later called it quits in November 2022.) The O.C. alum went on to slam rumors that her romance with the Grammy winner overlapped with her and Sudeikis' relationship. “The complete horses–t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,” Wilde told Vanity Fair in September 2022. “Our relationship was over long before I met Harry. Like any relationship that ends, it doesn’t end overnight. Unfortunately, Jason and I had a very bumpy road, and we officially dissolved the relationship towards the beginning of the pandemic.” Earlier in 2022, the twosome's relatively private split became very public when they began a custody battle for their children. In April of that year, Wilde was publicly served with legal papers while speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Through his rep, Sudeikis claimed at the time that he didn't know the papers would be served "in such an inappropriate manner." Wilde, for her part, later described the incident as an attempt to "sabotage" her CinemaCon presentation. "In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack," she told Variety in August 2022. "It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen." Keep scrolling for everything to know about Sudeikis and Wilde's legal battle with Genaro.

Credit: Shutterstock(2)

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis Sued by Their Former Nanny: Everything to Know

A messy situation. Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis called it quits in November 2020, but the pair have weathered their share of drama in the years since. Nearly two years after their split, the former couple's ex-nanny Ericka Genaro detailed her time as their employee in an explosive interview with the Daily Mail. The Don't Worry Darling director and the Saturday Night Live alum slammed her allegations at the time, but Genaro wasn't out of their lives just yet. In February 2023, Genaro filed a lawsuit against the twosome, claiming that they terminated her employment because of the anxiety and depression she allegedly developed while working for them. In court documents obtained by Us Weekly at the time, Genaro’s attorneys alleged that she “became increasingly anxious and stressed” after Wilde and Sudeikis ended their romantic relationship. The exes share son Otis, born in 2014, and daughter Daisy, born in 2016. [sendtonews type="float" key="8eTvpgLeH7-2830209-14453"] Genaro alleged in her complaint that the Booksmart director “abruptly left the home where she lived” with Sudeikis and the children in November 2020. “Wilde’s sudden absence from the home had an adverse consequence on its emotional state, including Sudeikis leaning on the presence of [Genaro] for support," read the documents. The childcare pro went on to allege that the Ted Lasso star asked her to “stay up at night after the kids were put to bed to talk” about his personal life, adding that she “felt compelled to engage” in these conversations even though they created “extreme anxiety to her as she ostensibly felt she had to ‘pick sides’ between the parents of the children she was ostensibly the primary caretaker.” After news of Genaro's lawsuit broke, Wilde and Sudeikis — who got in engaged in 2013 — did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Following her split from Sudeikis, Wilde moved on with Harry Styles, whom she directed in the film Don't Worry Darling. (The New York City native and the "Watermelon Sugar" singer later called it quits in November 2022.) The O.C. alum went on to slam rumors that her romance with the Grammy winner overlapped with her and Sudeikis' relationship. “The complete horses–t idea that I left Jason for Harry is completely inaccurate,” Wilde told Vanity Fair in September 2022. “Our relationship was over long before I met Harry. Like any relationship that ends, it doesn’t end overnight. Unfortunately, Jason and I had a very bumpy road, and we officially dissolved the relationship towards the beginning of the pandemic.” Earlier in 2022, the twosome's relatively private split became very public when they began a custody battle for their children. In April of that year, Wilde was publicly served with legal papers while speaking at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Through his rep, Sudeikis claimed at the time that he didn't know the papers would be served "in such an inappropriate manner." Wilde, for her part, later described the incident as an attempt to "sabotage" her CinemaCon presentation. "In any other workplace, it would be seen as an attack," she told Variety in August 2022. "It was really upsetting. It shouldn’t have been able to happen." Keep scrolling for everything to know about Sudeikis and Wilde's legal battle with Genaro.

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How Long Did the Nanny Work for Olivia and Jason?

In her legal complaint, Genaro said she began working for Wilde and Sudeikis in 2018. She decided to give her notice in February 2021, offering to give the pair “up to 5 months” to find a new nanny for the children. Though she planned to stay on during the search for another caretaker, Genaro alleged that Sudeikis "terminated her on the spot" after she requested a three-day "leave of absence" from work.

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What Has She Said About Working for Them?

In October 2022, Genaro spoke out about her time working for the duo during an interview with the Daily Mail, though she wasn't identified by name at the time. Genaro claimed that Sudeikis "was out of control crying" in November 2020 upon discovering messages on Wilde's Apple Watch that allegedly confirmed she was dating Styles.

The caregiver also claimed that Sudeikis later became inconsolable when he saw Wilde making her “special” salad dressing on her way to see the Dunkirk actor. “The night she left with her salad, Jason had chased after her, videotaping her in the house,” Genaro alleged. “She was saying: ‘I’m scared of you, Jason, I’m scared of you.’ And he said: ‘If you’re scared of me, why are you leaving your kids with me?’ So then, Jason went outside and lay under her car so she wouldn’t leave. She got in her car to back up, he lay under her car so she wouldn’t leave. She went back into the house and he went in, it was back and forth. He said he was doing it on purpose to make her late going to see Harry."

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How Did Olivia and Jason Respond?

Wilde and Sudeikis slammed Genaro's Daily Mail allegations in a rare joint statement in October 2022. “As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make up such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly,” the pair told Us at the time. “This is the unfortunate apex of a now, 18-month-long campaign of harassing us, as well as our loved ones, close friends and colleagues. We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone.”

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Why Is the Nanny Suing Olivia and Jason?

Genaro claimed in her lawsuit that she was terminated “because of her disability of anxiety/depression, and for seeking the reasonable accommodation of a three day leave of absence for same.” She is seeking damages including “loss of earnings, deferred compensation and other employment benefits” and reimbursement for her legal fees.

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Are Jason and Olivia Seeking a Dismissal of the Case?

The pair confirmed to Us in a joint statement in May 2023 that they are planning to file a motion to compel arbitration in Genaro’s case, which they alleged was improperly filed in California as a civil suit instead as a hearing before the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in New York.

“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,” Sudeikis and Wilde said in their statement. “We are confident that the evidence brought forward will affirm our position to summarily dismiss this case and bring our family peace.”

The director and the comedian also want to dismiss the California case completely so that both parties can bring forward complaints to the AAA.

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Did Jason and Olivia’s Motion to Resolve the Case Outside of Court Pass?

 After requesting the case move to arbitration in May 2023, a Los Angeles judge ruled in August 2023 that Genaro’s lawsuit against the former couple would now be resolved outside the judiciary courts via a private arbitrator.

"The lawsuit has been fully dismissed," reps for the exes told Us at the time. "Both Olivia and Jason are hopeful they can finally close this chapter after what has not only been a selfish grab for financial gain, but a shameless exploitation of their trust played out in the media.”

Ron Zambrano, an attorney for Genaro, meanwhile, told Us in a statement, “We don’t agree with the decision, but it is what it is. And now we’ll litigate it in arbitration, and the case goes on," claiming that the decision “does not terminate the lawsuit; it merely changes the venue.”

He continued: “As to the underlying facts, we’ve got text messages and testimony that [Genaro] was driven to quit, then was summarily fired anyway. We feel extremely confident in the case, so instead of taking this to trial, we’ll handle it in arbitration, and we’re ready to move forward.”