RFK Jr.’s Lover Olivia Nuzzi Is Trying to Silence Me, Ex Ryan Lizza Says in New Lawsuit

Attorneys for Ryan Lizza have filed court papers opposing ex-fiance Olivia Nuzzi’s motion to seal their lawsuit. They called it “a dishonest attempt to silence Mr. Lizza from telling his side of the story,” according to documents obtained by the Daily Beast.

The filing is the latest twist in a drama that has electrified the world of politics and the media since the revelation that Nuzzi, New York Magazine then a Washington correspondent, had a “digital” affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. while she was engaged to Lizza, herself the co-author of Politicos Playbook newsletter, the daily bible of the DC elite.

Nuzzi filed an extraordinary series of explosive claims against Lizza in court on September 29, accusing him of blackmailing her into staying with him after learning about her affair with RFK Jr., who is married to third wife Cheryl Hines.

Nuzzi got one ex parte temporary civil protective order – an order from the court without any review of Nuzzi’s claims. Lizza wasn’t even aware of the filing until CNN provided him with a copy of the order, his attorneys claimed today in their new filing with the DC Superior Court.

“Mr. Lizza wants his facts made public, has nothing to hide, and respectfully requests that this court deny Ms. Nuzzi’s motion to seal,” the papers say.

“You would think that Ms. Nuzzi, as an experienced journalist, would share this Court and Mr. Lizza’s commitment to the press’s access rights to information,” added Mr. Lizza’s lawyer, Simon Latcovich.

The crucial point Lizza’s attorneys make is that Nuzzi made no attempt to close coverage on the case for two weeks after her September 29 filing. She only did so after Lizza filed his counter-filing on October 11, which was first reported. exclusively by the Beast.

“Mr. Lizza’s response to the petition should be as public as her (Nuzzi’s) self-serving and self-published allegations,” Lizza’s attorneys argue.

“The petition was available on the public docket for two full weeks (after September 29). Yet Mrs. Nuzzi did not move to seal. Rather, she has positively fueled press coverage,” the filing alleges.

“Several hours after Ms. Nuzzi’s counsel received Mr. Lizza’s response and the day before the public hearing on her petition, Ms. Nuzzi suddenly decided to seal everything.”

“Ms. Nuzzi cannot present and discuss her petition and its allegations with news organizations and then attempt to seal the record she created to silence Mr. Lizza in this lawsuit.

Lizza is being represented in the battle for his name by both Latcovich, who filed the documents, and famed DC dealmaker and counsel Bob Barnett. They are each partners at Williams & Connolly, the boutique litigation firm hired by Bill Clinton to represent him in his impeachment trial.

Nuzzi – who New York Magazine severed ties last week – is represented by well-known DC employment law attorney Air Wilkenfeld.

Wilkenfeld represented Matt Lauer’s lead accuser when she leveled a sexual harassment allegation against the former NBC host in 2016, costing Lauer his job. (Another of Wilkenfeld’s clients, less consistently, accused Tom Brokaw of unwanted sexual advances in 2018.)

Nuzzi was initially represented by a Maryland-based personal injury attorney from the firm Jezic & Moysz when she first filed for an order of protection against Lizza. Her recent appointment of Wilkenfeld represents a significant step up in legal firepower – and in costs.

The starting rate at Lescht, Wilkenfeld’s firm, can go up to about $5,000, while a lawyer of Wilkenfeld’s stature costs about $800 an hour after that.

“If Ms. Nuzzi was truly concerned about her identity and the disclosure of her allegations,” Lizza’s attorneys conclude in their petition to Judge Staples, “she had nearly two weeks to seek relief from the Court.”

“The fact that she only took action to shield these proceedings from the public after Mr. Lizza filed his response refuting her allegations and prior to a public hearing reveals her true motivations.”

The pair will meet in court on November 19.

Additional reporting by Corbin Bolies.