Lauren Sanchez’s newly released book, The Fly Who Flew to Space, has quickly climbed to the USA TODAY Best-selling booklist and The New York Times children’s picture books bestseller list. However, the celebration may be short-lived, as Sanchez now faces a lawsuit from her former yoga instructor, Alanna Zabel, who accuses her of plagiarizing her 2022 children’s book, Dharma Kitty Goes to Mars.
Zabel, who taught Sanchez privately from 2007 to 2011, claims that the concept of her book was copied, with 60 percent of the content being replicated in Sanchez’s work. Before the publication of Sanchez’s book in March, Zabel sent two cease-and-desist letters, alleging that they were in contact in 2022 to discuss a children’s book idea about a cat flying to Mars.
Zabel even expressed a willingness to donate the proceeds of her book sales to the Bezos Earth Fund and Bezos Academy. While Zabel’s book was published in late 2022, Sanchez announced in January 2023 that she was working on a children’s book about a fly that goes to space.
In her complaint, Zabel accuses Sanchez of breaching trust and misusing intellectual property, describing the former Emmy-award-winning journalist’s actions as “continual and outrageous acts of jealousy.” Filing the suit without an attorney, Zabel stated, “The actions of the defendant constitute intentional infliction of emotional distress as they were extreme and outrageous, carried out with the intent to harm the plaintiff, driven by personal jealousy, and a personal desire to posture publicly as ‘philanthropic and caring.’” She further added, “In a nutshell, the defendant has always demonstrated a desire to appear like the plaintiff, an authentic, independent, free-spirited, hardworking, and public service-oriented yoga instructor.”
It seems puzzling why the fiancée of the world’s second-richest man, worth $207 billion, according to Forbes, who has the world at her feet, would envy a yoga teacher she hasn’t interacted with in over 13 years. Furthermore, when it comes to the plagiarism claims, 2023’s top-earning children’s books, according to Publisher’s Weekly, included Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea by Dav Pilkey, featuring an evil flea, and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss, which, while not about space, uses metaphorical and imaginative landscapes and even involve a flea.
Amid the controversy, Sanchez has been enjoying the success of her book and shared on Instagram, “I still can’t believe it!!! I’m so so excited to share the cover of my first children’s book, The Fly Who Flew to Space. I’m beyond grateful because this story holds a piece of my heart. It’s a celebration of overcoming challenges, the joy of learning, and dreaming beyond the stars.”
The Fly Who Flew to Space was officially released on Sept. 10, with Sanchez sharing her struggles with dyslexia and her experiences in school throughout her press tour. Zabel, seeking appropriate compensation and relief without specifying a monetary amount, has also demanded a trial by jury. Perhaps now is the time for everyone involved to take a few deep breaths and find some calm amidst the legal storm.
