Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' ex-nanny sues actors for wrongful termination
Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' ex-nanny has filed a lawsuit against the former couple alleging she was wrongfully terminated and suffered unbearable stress and anxiety as a result of the couple's breakup.
On Tuesday, attorneys for Ericka Genaro filed a lawsuit on her behalf against Sudeikis and Wilde, who allegedly fired Genaro, their live-in nanny, after she requested a three-day medical leave of absence due to stress. ML Management LLC, which paid for Genaro's services, is also listed in the lawsuit as a defendant. In the lawsuit, Genaro asserts that her termination was due to "disability of anxiety/depression."
The lawsuit states that Genaro, who began working as Sudeikis' and Wilde's nanny for their two children in 2018, experienced anxiety and stress after Wilde suddenly left the home where she lived with Sudeikis and their two children.
During this time, Genaro alleges that Sudeikis would confide in her about Wilde's absence from the home even on nights after the kids were put to bed. The lawsuit states that the late night conversations with Sudeikis would evolve into Genaro feeling obligated to "pick sides" between the parents. Genaro claims that she continued to feel stress and anxiety and found Wilde's absence "debilitating."
Following the former couple's split in November 2020, Genaro alleges that the emotional toll of the situation intensified and the three of them engaged in remote counseling sessions and group text messages. Genaro also asserts she was counseled by the same therapist on an individual basis.
Genaro claims by January 2021, she had been experiencing physical pain, anxiety and stress, and that she was treated by an osteopath, who advised Genaro to stop working for Sudeikis and Wilde for her own health.
The former nanny allegedly told Sudeikis that she was advised to quit for her health, but she wanted to stay on for a few months to help the kids get used to a new nanny.
The following month, Genaro alleges her physical pain continued and she was prescribed a needed "three-day medical leave of absence because of her mental health - aka a stress leave." Genaro's needed absence was allegedly relayed to the therapist, who relayed the message to Sudeikis. However, Genaro claims Sudeikis ended up firing her instead.
"Rather than honor the restriction of a three-day leave of absence from the osteopath, within hours Sudeikis demanded to speak with plaintiff [Genaro] immediately," the lawsuit states. "When plaintiff responded she is under the osteopath's orders to not speak with anyone because of her anxiety, Sudeikis terminated her on the spot."
"Plaintiff reached out to Wilde for support in an attempt or help to merely have her restrictions honored, to no avail," the lawsuit continued.
Genaro believes that she was terminated "because of her disability of anxiety/depression, and for seeking the reasonable accommodation of a three-day leave of absence for same."
Genaro also filed a Complaint of Discrimination with the Civil Rights Department for the State of California and obtained a Right to Sue letter.
Wilde and Sudeikis have not responded to ABC News' request for comment on the lawsuit.
Genaro's lawsuit comes nearly four months after Sudeikis and Wilde slammed the former nanny for allegations she reportedly made about the suspected reasons for their split.
"As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly," Sudeikis and Wilde said in a joint statement at the time.
"Her now 18-month long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex," they continued. "We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone."
Following their split in November 2020, the ex-couple's custody battle over their two children made headlines in August 2022 when custody papers were served publicly to Wilde while she was onstage during a presentation of her film "Don't Worry Darling" at CinemaCon in Las Vegas.
A source at the time told "Good Morning America" that Sudeikis was unaware of the manner and timeline of the delivery of the documents. The two currently are co-parenting and share custody of their children.
