Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has been sued for alleged defamation by his girlfriend’s brother Michael Sanchez. Sanchez has filed a lawsuit against the world’s richest man, alleging that the latter  defamed him by accusing him of leaking intimate photos of Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sanchez to the National Enquirer, reported the Verge.

The lawsuit came against the backdrop of Bezos’ phone allegedly getting hacked by Saudi Arabia in 2018 after receiving an encrypted text on Whatsapp. According to a Guardian report, the message was allegedly  sent using the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia.

In the lawsuit, Sanchez has stated he suffered substantial harm after Bezos levelled allegations against him, including an FBI inquiry at his residence. The lawsuit further stated that he  was a “dutiful brother and manager” to his sister at the time of the leak, the Verge report further added.

The curious case of mobile hacking

Adding more controversy to the mobile hacking saga, The Wall Street Journal reported that Sanchez reportedly sold the photos to the National Enquirer, which then published a controversial story about Lauren and Bezos' affair early in 2019.

Last week, the newspaper also reported that Sanchez received a $200,000 payment from the National Enquirer for leaking intimate images and text.

Denying his role in the leak, Sanchez said he is suing Bezos for unspecified damages "in an amount appropriate to punish and make an example of defendants".

Lauren, however, described her brother's lawsuit against Bezos as "baseless and untrue". Bezos is yet to comment on the lawsuit filed against him.

Was Lauren also involved?

The Wall Street Journal report suggested Lauren could be  a part of the plot. According to the sources cited in the newspaper, federal prosecutors have proofs to substantiate that she  supplied intimate texts and photos to her brother, which he then sold to the National Enquirer.

Bezos in February 2019 had  accused American Media Inc, the publisher of National Enquirer, an American tabloid, of "blackmail" and "extortion".