Actor John Krasinski’s brother, who had sued eight women for an alleged “highly coordinated” defamation campaign to “destroy” him, has tossed his lawsuit after a settlement was reportedly reached.
Paul Krasinski filed the suit earlier this year in Plymouth Superior Court against former local TV reporter and anchor Jackie Bruno and realtor Danielle Cyr-Defrias — both exes of Krasinski — and six other unnamed women.
Krasinski’s defamation suit against the women came after the town of Plymouth ordered him to stop his nonprofit operations due to building code violations. The town sent him cease-and-desist orders to immediately halt operations at his educational facility, The Farmhouse, for violating fire safety codes and lacking the required permits.
The Daily Mail, meanwhile, was reportedly working on a story about Krasinski’s “behavior towards women,” according to his exes.
Krasinski then brought the defamation lawsuit against Bruno, Cyr-Defrias, and six “Jane Doe” defendants.
Now, the actor’s brother has dropped the defamation suit following a reported settlement.
“In the spirit of moving forward, we have mutually decided to resolve the matter quietly and confidentially,” Bruno and Cyr-Defrias wrote in a joint statement to the Herald on Monday.
Krasinski and his lawyers from Todd & Weld LLP did not immediately respond to comment.
“Plaintiffs Paul Krasinski and The Farmhouse Retreat, Inc. hereby voluntarily dismisses this action without prejudice,” the court document reads about the defamation suit being dropped.
“The Plaintiffs note that the Defendants have not filed a responsive pleading nor has anyone appeared in this action on their behalf,” the court document states. “Nothing set forth in this pleading shall serve to dismiss with prejudice any claims against any of the Jane Doe Defendants.”
Krasinski had been accusing the eight women of a “highly coordinated operation with the singular goal of humiliating, defaming and destroying” him and his nonprofit.
Krasinski claimed that the defendants smeared him in the press and online.
“This coordinated campaign of misconduct, for which all defendants are legally liable due to their active participation, involve abusive activities such as making false claims to the Internal Revenue Service, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Family Services and the installation of (a) camera directed at The Farmhouse’s property so as to actively monitor visitors coming to and from the property, among other gross and intentional misconduct,” the lawsuit stated.
One social media comment that the suit included was Cyr-Defrias posting on The Farmhouse’s Instagram page after she and Krasinski split.
“The Farmhouse is anything but a safe and supporting space,” her post stated. “If you know, you know.”
Also in the Facebook group “Are We Dating the Same Guy,” Cyr-Defrias reportedly wrote that Krasinski was a “master manipulator,” a “narcissistic sociopath,” and warned the group, “Ladies beware.”
When the Plymouth Independent reported about Krasinski’s nonprofit, Bruno was quoted in the article saying, “Paul is using the schools, the town, and people’s generosity and hope for opportunity to his advantage. I have since learned he cannot be trusted.”