- Olivia Nuzzi accused her ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza of blackmail and career threats in court documents.
- Lizza denied the allegations in a statement.
- New York magazine put Nuzzi on leave amid a review of her relationship with RFK Jr.
New York magazine political writer Olivia Nuzzi has accused her ex-fiancé, Politico reporter Ryan Lizza, of blackmailing her and threatening to destroy her career. The accusations, which she made in court documents viewed by Business Insider, mark the latest turn in the dramatic story surrounding Nuzzi’s relationship with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
New York mag put Nuzzi on leave last month and hired a law firm to review her work and relationship with the former presidential candidate.
In an October 1 petition for a civil protection order in DC Superior Court’s domestic relations branch, Nuzzi alleged Lizza hacked her devices in recent months to surveil her and collect materials to blackmail her. She said in the filing that Lizza intended to lure her back into a relationship with him and, if she refused, damage her professionally.
Nuzzi also said in the filing that Lizza stole a personal device from her and recovered deleted materials from the device to use as blackmail and distribute to the media through anonymous channels to harass her. She said she believed he doctored the materials to make them more damaging and anonymize himself.
She said in the filing that Lizza had “threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation — a threat he has since carried out.”
Lizza, whose outlet shares a parent company with BI, denied the claims in a statement: “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.”
A Politico spokesperson said the outlet and Lizza had “mutually agreed that it is in everyone’s best interest for him to step back and take a leave of absence while an investigation is conducted.”
Nuzzi also said in the filing that Lizza threatened her with physical violence to coerce her to assume his share of financial responsibility for a joint contract the pair had with a book publisher.
The filing doesn’t name RFK Jr. But Nuzzi alleged Lizza contacted her boss around September 18 to initiate a conversation about “the matter.” Journalist Oliver Darcy reported on September 19 in his newsletter, Status, that New York magazine had put her on leave.
The story has already had big fallout for New York magazine, its parent, Vox Media, and the journalists involved. New York mag put Nuzzi on leave after her editors learned she’d had a relationship with Kennedy while reporting on the presidential race. New York called it a “violation of the magazine’s standards around conflicts of interest and disclosures” and said it was conducting a third-party investigation. Nuzzi previously said in a statement to The New York Times that the relationship wasn’t physical. A Kennedy rep has said he only met Olivia Nuzzi once for an interview she requested.
Lizza previously said he would no longer be involved in coverage of RFK Jr. because of his connection to the story.
DC Superior Court Judge Robert Hildum approved a temporary restraining order against Lizza. Lizza is now barred from contacting Nuzzi or visiting her home or work.
Temporary protection orders are typically granted, sometimes without notifying the person they’ve been filed against. The judge will decide whether to leave the order in place or lift it at a later court date.
The next court date in the case is scheduled for October 15.
