Olivia Nuzzi's ex-fiancé Ryan Lizza called her accusations "false" in a statement to PEOPLE
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(L-R) Ryan Lizza, Olivia Nuzzi, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Olivia Nuzzi, the reporter who has made headlines for her alleged "personal relationship" with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., claims her ex-fiancé had a role in leaking the allegations.
According to CNN, Nuzzi, 31, claimed in a court filing in Washington, D.C.'s Superior Court this week that her former fiancé Ryan Lizza, who is the Chief Washington Correspondent for Politico and co-author of the the site's Playbook column, "explicitly threatened to make public personal information about me to destroy my life, career, and reputation."
Nuzzi alleged that Lizza made the threat in mid-August — nearly four weeks before her employer, New York magazine, announced that she had been placed on leave due to her "personal relationship with a former subject relevant to the 2024 campaign while she was reporting on the campaign."
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Olivia Nuzzi attends the 2023 White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at Washington Hilton on April 29, 2023 in Washington, DC.While it is not clear when Nuzzi and Lizza's engagement came to an end, Nuzzi claims that Lizza's alleged harassment dates back to July and was done to blackmail her back into a relationship with him, CNN reported.
Nuzzi claimed that Lizza stole a personal electronic device from her to anonymously disclose some private information about her to the media and tipped off New York magazine about her alleged "personal relationship" with Kennedy, 70, which she called "the matter" in court records, per CNN.
According to the outlet, a judge approved Nuzzi’s requests to temporarily bar Lizza from contacting her and have police accompany her when she attempts to get her possessions back from him.
Per the court filing, Nuzzi claimed that Lizza allegedly threatened her with violence “to assume his share of financial responsibility” for a joint book contract they had. PEOPLE reached out to Nuzzi but did not immediately hear back.
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Olivia Nuzzi attends Pivot MIA at 1 Hotel South Beach on February 16, 2022 in Miami, Florida.In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Lizza denied Nizzi's accusations. "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," Lizza said.
Related: Who Is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Wife? All About Actress Cheryl Hines
"I emphatically deny these allegations and I will defend myself against them vigorously and successfully," his statement continued.
Lizza has not responded to the allegations in court yet, per CNN. He will have an opportunity to appear before the judge during the next scheduled hearing on Oct. 15.
Nuzzi told the New York Times she also filed a complaint with the FBI with similar allegations.
“The FBI does not comment on complaints or tips we may or may not receive from the public so we will decline to comment," the FBI told PEOPLE in a statement.
Mario Tama/Getty
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks at a Hispanic Heritage Month event at Wilshire Ebell Theatre on September 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, CaliforniaIn a note to readers, Lizza wrote that he and his editors had agreed he would not cover any Kennedy-related news for Politico.
On Tuesday night, Lizza and Politico agreed that he would take a leave of absence during the investigation. “POLITICO and Ryan Lizza have 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,” read a statement from the outlet.
Although Kennedy was not named in the lawsuit or New York magazine's statement about Nuzzi, a source with knowledge of the incident told CNN that Nuzzi was linked to Kennedy.
Nuzzi shared in a previous statement to PEOPLE that although "the nature of some communication" between herself and "a former reporting subject turned personal," it was never "physical."
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Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Cheryl Hines during an event on on March 26, 2024 in Oakland, CaliforniaKennedy has not spoken out about the matter, sharing in an interview with Fox News on Friday, Sept. 20: "I never comment on those kind of stories."
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His wife, Cheryl Hines, has also not addressed the issue, but she was spotted wearing a band on her ring finger during Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, Sept. 26.
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