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.)
Third, Lowe is hiding behind the non-disclosure agreements signed by the former staffers. Lowe claims the nanny breached her NDA by talking about what goes on inside the Lowe household, but unfortunately, no NDA can forbid the testimony of illegal acts.
Fourth, Lowe is slapping major lawsuits against his ex-staff, alleging every charge his legal team could dream up. It's easy to see this as an attempt to silence his former employees by burying the trio under a mountain of legal fees, which their salaries probably couldn't come close to covering. Don't underestimate the value of scare tactics.
Fifth, the three employees, who all worked for Lowe for many years, all quit abruptly. Even Lowe says nanny Gibson gave no reason for quitting after seven years. The chef, Peter Clements, who has a wife and kids to support, seems to have left the job without another one lined up. The man is in such dire financial straights, he filed for bankruptcy in 1999. The possibility of a their wanting to score a settlement payment from Lowe for his supposed wrongdoing, which could takes years to process, seems like a stretch to explain their no-backup-plan quitting. That Lowe was responsible for mistreating his staff, however, remains a plausible scenario to explain their quick departures.
And sixth, let's not forget Lowe's 1988 videotaped sex session with a 16-year-old at the Democratic convention. If this ever reaches trial, expect the former staffers' counsel to introduce this character building evidence.
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The Bankruptcy of the Chef in the Rob Lowe lawsuit http://www.webofdeception.com
I don't think the tape would be allowed in evidence. Character evidence showing "propensity" to act in a certain way is inadmissible in most jurisdictions and in the federal courts if it does nothing but show that the party to the suit is a bad person. Unless it was meant to show a very specific pattern, such as a pattern of having sex with underage girls and videotaping it (like in a criminal case brought by another underage girl), I don't think any judge would allow it in. It would basically just make the jury turn against Lowe, but for no reason.
I would think that their home security camera recordings would have recorded any and all people in the house, and their actions. No tapes, no story.
The curious thing here is that if Mr. Lowe was guilty of anything, then why didn't his staffers follow due process of filing a complaint with authorities in order to make their demands in court. By resorting to illegal extortion, they nullify any complaints, making Lowe the victim of a crime. No matter what Mr. Lowe did wrong, it is not void by the illegal actions of his ex-employees. who no doubt thought that a good threat would make them rich beyond belief. I applaud Mr. Lowe for the plot twist of controlling the story and putting it out there, and i applaud the fact that he doesn't want to have the police take it over; if i had the power to turn that screw, I would want to keep control of it as long as possible.
It's hard to speculate on Rob's he-said-she-said nanny-gate this far. It is interesting to see how Huffington Post and the Santa Barbara News-Press handle their updates. So far as I know, both were eager to report Rob's side. What about the employees? The nanny did come out with a statement last night, 09-Apr-08. Is there bias in the reporting?
Wasn't Arriana Huffington the first nanny-gate? The connection to the Santa Barbara News-Press is interesting. Rob's friend, Wendy McCaw owns the paper and Rob was the beginning of the end because of his over the top privacy issues. They both use the same attorney's. Larry Stein and A. Barry Cappello. Aggressive defense is an under statement. Employees and child porn plague both friends.
I'm so glad you posted this — I thought something smelled fishy when he released his first overly righteous statement. Why not press charges if she did wrong? My prediction: A lawyer will get hold of the former staffers and negotiate a settlement. Nothing will be released to the press. We'll have to wait for Lowe's wife to leave him, or his kids to write a scathing expose after his death.
Kiki I'm afraid you got it right.
Here are 3 people who may never work again.
For how much will they sign off?
Will the Lowe's say you really didn't take my pills, use my bed or try to extort me? How old are the hired workers? They'll still be ruined. How much would you want if you couldn't work?
omg i dont feel srry for sodapop at all! he should deserve it! now he cant pay for no new right ear! o well, all i have to say he is still veryyyyyyyyyyyy hot………..
OMFG! ROB LOWE IS SOOO… F****** HOT! I LOVE HIM I WISH IT WAS ME IN THAT TAPE! WOOT WOOT! I LOVE HIM!!!…!!! I GOOGLE HIM EVERY DAY HES DEF IN HIS RIGHT EAR HE IS IN THE OUTSIDERS AND YOUNG BLOOD! TTYL TTFN L8R CHEESE GR8R
omg he is so fucking hot!!!!!! i feel bad 4 his right ear! i swear if he was my dad i'd marry him and stalk him into the shower! WOOT WOOT!!!!!!!!! SODAPOP is a sexy bitch man…..i love the shower scence! i was screamin, "COME ON SODAPOP DROP THE TOWEL! U KNOW U WANT TO!!!!!"
He was the one in power position. Why didnt he just fire them if they were so bad? and have evidence to back it up, knowing possible wrongful dismissal suit, if there wasnt a good reason.
I think its clear this guy is a manipulator. Not just from this article but all that i have seen.
rob lowe: sleaze-bag republican. He rushed to sensationalize "his" side because he is a bad guy and a sexual pervie. (1988 anyone? he kept his skanky ass from going to prison by the skin of his teeth). Wish he would drop dead. I wish the ex employees the best of the luck.