The former nanny of actors Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis is claiming the couple fired her in retaliation after she sought help for depression and anxiety amid their tumultuous split.
Erika Genaro, who started working for the actors in 2018, says their 2020 split created a tense environment that compromised her mental health, according to the lawsuit she filed Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Genaro alleges that Sudeikis often discussed Wilde with her following Wilde’s “abrupt” departure from the family home in November 2020, which led to her feeling pressured to “pick a side” between the couple.
Her babysitting duties were also “exponentially increased” after Wilde left, Genaro alleges, prompting her to speak to Wilde in a private conversation that was then relayed to Sudeikis.
Around January 2021, Sudeikis and Wilde agreed to undergo group therapy with Genaro to deal with the “emotional weight” of their situation, the lawsuit says.
Genaro’s therapist referred her to an osteopath, who recommended a three-day break from communications with Sudeikis and Wilde to help reduce her anxiety and stress, the lawsuit said.
But Genaro alleges that as soon as he was informed of the need for a three-day sick leave, Sudeikis demanded to speak to her and fired her after she said she would not speak to him, citing her doctor’s recommendation.
Genaro alleges that “his termination was because of his anxiety/depression disability and seeking the reasonable accommodation of a three-day leave of absence for the same,” the lawsuit reads.
A representative for Sudeikis declined to comment on the lawsuit, and a spokesman for Wilde did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
The Daily Mail reported in October on alleged details of the couple’s split, using an unnamed babysitter as a source.
Wilde and Sudeikis said in a joint statement in October that it was disturbing that their children’s caregiver made “false and lewd accusations” about them.
“His 18-month campaign targeting us, as well as his loved ones, close friends and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex,” they said. “We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she now chooses to leave our family alone.”
Wilde and Sudeikis were together for nine years before their split was reported in 2020. They have two children but were not married.
Their custody battle made headlines, as Wilde was handed custody papers last year while speaking about his film “Don’t Worry Darling” at CinemaCon, a ticketed industry convention.
Sudeikis denied having any knowledge of when or where the legal documents would be delivered to Wilde. A representative said in a statement that “he would never tolerate her being treated in such an inappropriate manner.”
Wilde said it was “very disturbing” in an interview with Variety in August promoting the film’s release.
“The only people who suffered were my children, because they will have to see this and they should never have known this happened,” Wilde said. “For me it was terrible, but the victims were an 8- and 5-year-old, and that’s very sad.”