Taylor Lorenz, the silver-spooned “journalist” currently hacking away at the Washington Post, is facing a multi-million dollar lawsuit stemming from the time she worked for the New York Times. Lorenz is the defendant in a nearly $12 million suit saying she ruined the career of a rising social media influencer company’s owner by publishing both coerced and untrue allegations.
This behavior certainly fits the pattern of Lorenz’s career. She most recently doxxed – that is to say, she published the anonymous identity – of the person running the account Libs of TikTok and opened her up to hate and danger. Lorenz does not write anything of substance; like a true Tolkien-esque villain, she does not create; she only destroys.
The New York Post picked up the terrific news that journalists are being held to account for their one-sided and slanderous portrayal of those with whom they disagree:
Lawyers for Ariadna Jacob, 38, allege in an amended lawsuit that Lorenz, who was then reporting for the Times, manipulated Jacob’s TikTok clients into making damaging accusations for the August 2020 article, including a claim that Jacob leaked nude photos of one influencer to “industry people.”
The amended lawsuit filed last week — about a month after a federal judge dismissed the initial lawsuit — alleges that Lorenz “bullied” Jacob’s clients into fabricating the claims against her.
Jacob alleges that Lorenz has longstanding ties to United Talent Agency, which ended up poaching many of her clients after Influences shuttered in the wake of the Times story.
Jacob is seeking more than $11.6 million in damages.
Speaking about the reasons for the lawsuit, Jacob stated “[t]wo years ago my life’s work was maliciously destroyed by Taylor Lorenz, a dishonest, agenda-driven ‘journalist influencer’ desperate for fame. Additionally, she talked about how Lorenz’s hit piece made her “professionally radioactive” and “penniless.” In suing, while seeking financial compensation, she was also on a “quest for justice, truth, and accountability.”
The New York Post continued by noting that prior to becoming untouchable, Jacob made her clients fabulously wealthy and famous. Since then, her company folded and she has been unable to procure similar work.
Jacob managed her clients while snagging them lucrative endorsement deals. Under her tutelage, Charlie D’Amelio signed on as a pitchwoman for Dunkin’ Donuts and also was featured in a Super Bowl commercial.
Rae, who recently inked a three-movie deal with Netflix, signed an endorsement deal with Maybelline and Urban Decay that Jacob negotiated. Jacob also arranged for Tomlinson to score deals with Chipotle, Samsung, GT’s Kombucha, and a Sabra Hummus Super Bowl commercial.
Hi @TaylorLorenz! Which of my relatives did you enjoy harassing the most at their homes yesterday? pic.twitter.com/QehkBSgcmG
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 19, 2022
It remains to be seen how the user behind the popular Libs of TikTok account will handle this news. Although she was similarly called out, rather than fizzle she became even more sensational. The Twitter account boasts nearly 1.5 million followers and is rising every day. Prior to Lorenz’s essay on her identity, she counted just a few hundred thousand. The exposure put her in danger, enough that she had to flee and go into hiding, but in the long run it gave her massive publicity and a large public backing.
Featured image (cropped): Pilcrow House, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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