Bryan Johnson, the tech millionaire who has dedicated his life to embracing a range of radical techniques to stave off ageing, has been sued by his former fiancee. Actor and content creator Taryn Southern has accused Mr Johnson of leaving her after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, according to Vanity Fair. She has also claimed in the lawsuit that the entrepreneur convinced her to give up her career for his ambitious endeavours, leaving her without financial support. Mr Johnson, 46, has denied these allegations.
According to People Magazine, Ms Southern started dating Mr Johnson in 2016 and claimed that he was referring to her as "Mrs Johnson" within weeks. In 2018, they were engaged and living together in California.
In the lawsuit, she claimed that Mr Johnson promised to "take care of her, financially and medically, for the rest of her life".
"Johnson demanded Ms Southern's devotion of her time and creative energy to his personal needs and professional aspirations," the lawsuit further alleged, with Ms Southern's attorneys claiming she was "financially dependent" on her former fiance when she was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer.
It also accused Mr Johnson of asking the actor to move out of his home in October 2019, when she was undergoing chemotherapy, said Vanity Fair.
By that point, Southern allegedly had "no independent source of steady income" to pay her growing medical bills, the filing states.
Her condition started improving by October 2021, and she attempted to reach an out-of-court settlement. But when that failed, Ms Southern filed the legal case against Mr Johnson seeking millions for several causes of action, including infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, and loss of earnings.
The millionaire, meanwhile, responded to the lawsuit, dubbing Ms Southern's claims as baseless. He also claimed that she isn't owed any damages and that she continued to maintain a relationship with him for "several months" after all the alleged events.
Mr Johnson has asked the court to dismiss Ms Southern's 2021 lawsuit and to compel her to pay his legal fees.
