A jealous money-grabbing personal assistant leaked Mariah Carey's medical records and extravagant spending habits to tabloids in an attempt to blackmail her for millions, new court documents allege. The notorious pop diva is locked in a legal battle in Manhattan Supreme Court with former employee Lianna Azarian - whom Carey says stockpiled damaging information that she leaked to the Daily Mail after she tried to extort the songstress for $8 million.
According to the documents filed by Carey's attorney on Monday, Azarian disclosed confidential information about her famous boss's medical history and personal business as part of several stories the Daily Mail published in June this year.
Those articles claimed Carey went on lavish spending sprees on cosmetic surgery procedures - including $10,000 butt-enhancing injections in Beverly Hills and a $273,000 two-day designer bender on Christmas Eve in Colorado in 2016 - but hid the transactions on Azarian's American Express credit card. Another article claimed the 48-year-old diva cheated on her billionaire ex-fiance James Packer with her current boyfriend and backup dancer Bryan Tanaka.
The singer is seeking at least $5 million in damages, claiming Azarian - also known as Lianna Shaknazarian - breached a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement she signed when she was hired in March 2015. "Carey expected Azarian would be a loyal ally in her business and personal life," the complaint reads. "Azarian was anything but: she was an opportunist, a voyeur, a Peeping Thomasina and an extortionist. Unsatisfied with her extraordinary compensation, access and lifestyle, Azarian sought to grow her wealth by robbing Carey of her privacy."
Her camp claims Azarian was one of the highest-paid executive assistants in the US, ultimately earning $327,000 a year and holding a position of trust and confidence with the celeb's family. According to the complaint, Azarian harbored damaging videos of Carey as an "insurance policy" if her boss ever sacked her and would sell the clips to the press, using the proceeds to buy a house.
Attorneys said Azarian "made good on her threat" and after Carey sacked her for not showing up to work in November 2017, the scorned employee hired a lawyer who demanded Carey pay millions in exchange for keeping the information private. Even after Carey started legal proceedings, Azarian allegedly "disclosed non-public information about Carey's personal, medical and professional affairs to the press".
Carey just settled a sexual harassment lawsuit with her former manager - who had accused her of strutting around in her birthday suit.
(Page Six)
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