Star political tabloid Olivia Nuzzi has hired the high-powered DC attorney who previously accused Matt Lauer as her feud with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. escalated.
Nuzzi, 31, has retained attorney Ari Wilkenfeld, who can charge $800 an hour, for her messy legal battle with her ex Ryan Lizza, 50, the Daily Beast reported Monday.
Wilkenfeld — a big name in Washington employment law — is a big upgrade from her previous adviser, a Maryland personal injury attorney.
Wilkenfeld’s employer, Alan Lescht, can seek up to $5,000 in initiation fees with a lawyer like Wilkenfeld costing about $800 an hour, according to the outlet.
Wilkenfeld gained notoriety when he represented an NBC employee sexual misconduct allegations against Lauer led to the anchor’s departure from TODAY in 2017.
Nuzzi is now fighting to keep her court battle against Lizza, her ex-fiancé, behind closed doors after the two exchanged heated allegations about each other in recent weeks.
Lizza, a Politico correspondent who worked at the Playbook newsletter before taking leave, is calling for the legal proceedings to be open to the public, the paper reported.
“Mr. Lizza requests that his facts be on the record, has nothing to hide, and respectfully requests that this court deny Ms. Nuzzi’s motion to seal,” the newly filed filings state.
Nuzzi’s world was turned upside down last month when it was revealed that she had an affair with RFK Jr. after interviewing the former presidential candidate for a profile in November 2023.
Her legal battle with Lizza began late last month when she successfully sought a no-contact order against Lizza. She accused her ex of harassment and blackmail for months, including allegations that he was behind the exposure of her affair with RFK.
Lizza has denied the claims and filed a lawsuit again two weeks later arguing that Nuzzi was a heartbroken lover who wanted to save their relationship after he dumped her over the summer.
Lizza also claimed Nuzzi described Kennedy as a “sex addict” who told her he wanted to “possess,” “control” and “impregnate her.”
Nuzzi’s camp labeled Lizza’s allegations “filled with outrageous and frivolous claims that we wouldn’t know an answer to.”
RFK, who is married to actress Cheryl Hines, has denied having an affair with Nuzzi.
Lizza’s legal team argued this week that Nuzzi initially didn’t bother to keep her explosive claims private until Lizza responded with his counter-affidavit.
“Mrs. “Nuzzi cannot offer and discuss her petition and her allegations with news organizations and then seek to seal the record herself that she created in order to silence Mr. Lizza in this litigation,” the court filing states, per The Daily Beast.
Lizza is using the legal services of renowned attorney Bob Barnett and Simon Latcovich. They are each partners at Williams & Connolly, which was hired by former President Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial, the newspaper reported.
Nuzzi and the New York magazine announced last week that the two sides were parting ways even though the publication found no evidence of bias in any of its reporting during the 2024 campaign.
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