Litigator and former Robe Lowe nanny Jessica Gibson got her vamp on two days ago for a People magazine photoshoot. If Rob Lowe can try shaping the allegations of sexual harassment and extortion, then so can she! Here she is in a pic appearing in this week's issue, where it should be captioned "Jessica has nothing to hide," as per attorney Gloria Allred's talking point, and our own conclusion after looking at her bangin' body.
Why was Jessica Gibson, Rob Lowe's former nanny, smiling like a cat that just ate a canary during her interview with Meredith Vieira on the "Today" Show yesterday? Her apparently happy demeanor struck me as odd. As a purported victim of sexual harassment, shouldn't she at least look and sound a little upset?
Answers TMZ: CONTINUED »
Rob Lowe's former nanny, 24-year-old Jessica Gibson, gave Today exec producer Jim Bell reason to grin today: She handed the morning show a major get in agreeing to sit down with Meredith Vieira.
Gibson was, of course, joined by her attorney Gloria Allred, who leaves no opportunity to defend a woman against media scrutiny untouched.
The Brothers & Sisters actor claimed Gibson was trying to extort him to the tune of $1.5 million, or she'd go to the press with sexual harassment allegations; instead, he got a jump on the coming scandal and blogged about it on Huffington Post, and sued her for defamation.
But in Gibson's suit, she says Lowe, among other things, exposed himself to her while she worked as his children's caretaker.
As you've already seen, we have our suspicions about Lowe's claims of extortion, but Gibson's shaky performance this morning hasn't lent her much credibility either.
Watch the clip below. CONTINUED »
Keep up people! Rob Lowe, dreamy star of Brothers & Sisters, is suing three former employees (two nannies and a chef), for violating non-disclosure agreements, theft, defamation, and infliction of emotional distress.
Lowe took to the Huffington Post on Monday before any of this became a headline, where he announced the nanny of kids Matthew and John Owen, Jessica Gibson, tried extorting he and wife Sheryl Berkoff for $1.5 million; if he didn't pay up, she would allege the actor sexually harassed her. So he sued her for $1 million; ex-chef Peter Clements and ex-nanny Laura Boyce were sued separately, for violating non-disclosure agreements.
But much of this sounds quite suspicious. From the allegations on each side to the way the parties are handling the fall out. Is Lowe trying to shape himself into the victim when, theoretically, it's quite the reverse? Quite possibly. Let's look at where the suspicion falls.
First, Lowe is playing a game of aggressive defense. By blogging on HuffPo, he gets to frame the story as he sees fit, before the nanny or other employees can reach out to any of the tabloid press to tell their side. Commanding the direction of the story is crucial, and being first out of the gate, he gets the prize as the sympathetic party. It's a smart PR move, whether he's guilty or innocent.
Second, Lowe claims he's the victim of alleged extortion, but refuses the help of law enforcement officials, who offered to open a criminal investigation. When the police get involved, Lowe could lose control of the situation's press spin. Authorities would also have interview the ex-employees he's accusing, which means their version of events would become public fodder. For now, Lowe gets to maintain the upper hand. But, generally speaking, victims of extortion refuse police help when they want to handle the matter privately, usually by meeting the blackmailer's demands, so nothing reaches the press. But in this instance, Lowe volunteered to make headlines, guaranteeing the details of the scandal would become public, sooner rather than later. That he doesn't want police help after airing the situation publicly rings sketchy. (TMZ says Lowe and his attorney didn't want police help because it would cause the three ex-employees to go silent.)
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Rob Lowe's aggressive defense against the allegations of sexual harassment began normally enough, with a blog item on Huffington Post. Too bad his public display is being met with equally questionable follow-ups. Namely, he doesn't want the help of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff, which heard about Lowe's extortion ordeal and offered its services. Instead, Lowe is suing the axed nanny, Jessica Gibson, for $1 million on claims of defamation, inflicting emotional distress, and violation of a confidentiality agreement; she's the won who allegedly wanted $1.5 million in hush money. Meanwhile, Lowe's chef, Pete Clements, said he only found out about Lowe's claims from a voicemail his mother left him. The actor alleges Clements had sex on his bed "with third parties," stole meds from the medicine cabinet, overcharged the family for food, and tampered with security cameras. To hide the MSG he was sneaking into the food.
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