Ryan Lizza claims that RFK Jr. wished to possess, control, and impregnate ex-fiancée Olivia Nuzzi as he harshly denies blackmail allegations in court.
Earlier today, Nuzzi and Lizza were negotiating a resolution to the no contact order a judge imposed upon him for allegedly blackmailing her over her phone sex affair with Robert F Kennedy Jr.
But in an August filing that was revealed today, Lizza claims he never hacked into any of Nuzzis devices but rather was told of the relationship and its nature by her.
I discovered that Ms. Nuzzi had been cheating on me with a married man [RFK Jr.] for almost a year. She admitted the affair and over the course of weeks of conversations she confided how she fell into what she described as a toxic unhealthy stupid psychotic crazy indefensible relationship with a 70-year-old sex addict who told her he wanted to possess, control, and impregnate her.
She told me that there was a huge power disparity between them and that he manipulated her.
No device of Ms. Nuzzis was ever hacked to learn any of this information. Almost everything I know about her affair comes directly from Ms. Nuzzi herself, he further wrote.
He also noted that it was Nuzzi who approached him to reconsider after he broke off the engagement and asked her to move out of their Washington DC house in mid-August.
Ryan Lizza claims that RFK Jr . wished to possess, control, and impregnate ex-fiancée Olivia Nuzzi as he harshly denies blackmail allegations in court
The affair did not progress into physical intimacy but Nuzzi and the former Presidential candidate are said to have shared incredible steamy FaceTime sessions and sexting
In the bombshell lawsuit, Lizza further claimed that Nuzzis recklessness is solely responsible for the "public ridicule," "humiliation" and "professional damage" she says she has suffered.
He called the allegations a disgraceful lie contradicted by the most basic facts.
The senior correspondent also fervently denied threatning physical violence against his former partner - rather claimed that he would never do anything to hurt her.
I have never threatened physical violence against Ms. Nuzzi. Period Nor has there ever been any actual physical violence. Ever, documents read.
Nuzzi and Lizza were due to appear before a judge in Washington DC over the October 1 order which barred him from speaking to her or using material he allegedly hacked from her
But after the case was not called, the clerk at the District of Columbia Superior Court said that the matter was in negotiation.
That means the two sides are working with a court mediator to resolve the dispute.
If they are unable to, it will come before Judge Sean Staples, the deputy presiding judge for domestic violence matters, to decide whether to renew the no contact order or dismiss it.
The hour-long hearing was expected to be a chance for the Washington correspondent to present his side of events to the court.
Instead, both sides appear to be making an effort to reach an amicable resolution to what happens next with the order, which expires on Tuesday and would have to be renewed by the judge.
Both Lizza and Nuzzi logged into the hearing via video link but did not show their faces. The negotiations are not being held in public.
Nuzzi accused Lizza of stealing her electronic devices to gain access to personal information about her affair with RFK Jr. before going to the media with the doctored information and is taking him to court seeking damages
Nuzzi, a 31-year-old New York Magazine writer, was suspended from the prestige publication last month after the bombshell affair with former independent presidential candidate was made public which included him bragging about her sending him demure nude images.
The affair did not progress into physical intimacy but Nuzzi and the former Presidential candidate are said to have shared incredible steamy FaceTime sessions and sexting.
She accused Lizza of stealing her electronic devices to gain access to personal information before going to the media with the doctored information, and was taking him to court to seek damages.
In legal filings, the senior reporter said that Lizza began harassing her at the beginning of July.
The court papers do not mention Kennedy by name.
By the middle of August, Lizza explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation – a threat he has since carried out, Nuzzi claims
In legal filings, the senior reporter said that Lizza began harassing her at the beginning of July
In the last few months it is my understanding that he began hacking my devices for the purpose of stalking and surveilling me and to collect materials in order to blackmail to intimidate me back into a relationship, Nuzzi said in court documents.
By the middle of August, Lizza explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation – a threat he has since carried out, Nuzzi claimed.
She also alleged that Lizza impersonated an anonymous campaign operative to shop the information around to other journalists.
Nuzzi even claims that some information may have been doctored to make her look worse.
Along with this, the scorned reporter alleges that Lizza tipped off New York magazine, possibly through a third party, and threatened her with violence to assume his share of financial responsibility for a book contract they had together.
Nuzzi and Lizza got engaged in September 2022. He announced it was over two years later
A judge granted Nuzzi a temporary no-contact order and will allow police guards to accompany her as she retrieves her things from Lizza
The scorned reporter alleges that Lizza tipped off New York magazine, possibly through a third party, and threatened her with violence to assume his share of financial responsibility for a book contract they had together
In a previous statement, Lizza denied his former partners allegations.
He said: I am saddened that my ex-fiancée would resort to making a series of false accusations against me as a way to divert attention from her own personal and professional failings. I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully.
Nuzzi has previously admitted that conversations between her and RFK Jr. turned personal.
In a statement, she said: The relationship was never physical but should have been disclosed to prevent the appearance of a conflict.
I deeply regret not doing so immediately and apologize to those Ive disappointed, especially my colleagues at New York (magazine).
Nuzzi has previously admitted that conversations between her and RFK Jr. turned personal
As the ex-couple continue to battle in court, RFK Jr.s wife Cheryl Hines 59, is standing by him as he grieves the death of his mother, Ethel, 96, whose funeral they attended together in Massachusetts on Monday.
The relationship is said to have begun after Nuzzi interviewed RFK Jr. for an interview for the magazine.
She was said to have been madly in love with RFK Jr. but he has denied any kind of relationship and said she kept contacting him even after he blocked her.
In 2022, the correspondent got engaged to Nuzzi, who announced their betrothal on Instagram with a series of videos showing off a huge, solitaire-cut sparkler on her ring finger.
Nuzzi, who announced their 2022 betrothal on Instagram with a series of videos showing off a huge, solitaire-cut sparkler on her ring finger
The former couple were due to publish a book together about the 2020 election which has since stalled
As the ex-couple continue to battle in court, RFK Jr.s wife Cheryl Hines 59, is standing by him as he grieves the death of his mother, Ethel, 96, whose funeral they attended together in Massachusetts on Monday.
The former couple were due to publish a book together about the 2020 election which has since stalled.
New York magazine has said that it placed Nuzzi on leave while it conducted a third-party review.
The publication has said she admitted having personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign.
Politico said that its editors and Lizza mutually agreed that it is in everyones best interest for him to step back and take a leave of absence while an investigation is conducted