'Grey’s Anatomy' Star Katherine Heigl Slammed With Lawsuit For Alleged $300,000 Unpaid Services

Katherine Heigl has been name-dropped in an alleged fraud lawsuit!

The actress and her mother, Nancy Heigl, are now being dragged to court by a former partner of their non-profit who accused her of owing payment for work done.

Katherine Heigl and her mother launched the non-profit The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation in 2008 to rescue animals from dangerous shelters and give them a better life.

Katherine and her mother, Nancy, are facing their latest lawsuit from Alyssa Faith Deetman, who claims the Heigls' non-profit organization failed to reimburse her for over $300,000 in expenses related to their collaboration. 

According to court documents, Alyssa allegedly began working with the Heigls' non-profit, The Jason Debus Heigl Foundation, in 2023. The team reportedly covers various costs, including veterinary bills and training for shelter dogs. 

However, she contends that Nancy never intended to fulfill these promises, leaving her animal rescue, The Pitty Committee, to bear the financial burden.

Alyssa's lawsuit came just days before the Heigls filed legal action against her. She claims her dog rescue incurred approximately $349,691.23 in unreimbursed expenses based on the Heigls' assurances. 

Additionally, she asserts that their non-profit harmed her rescue's reputation, impacting its donations and income. Katherine and Nancy have stated that they have invested over $8 million into their Foundation.

Per In Touch, the donated funds help to finance medical treatment and care for shelter and rescue animals. The duo also claimed their foundation partners with other non-profits to maximize their rescue efforts.

Alyssa filed the lawsuit, claiming that comments made by Nancy inflicted severe emotional distress on her. In her suit, Alyssa noted that Katherine's non-profit has a history of exploiting less funded and less sophisticated dog rescue organizations, like her own, to generate positive public relations.

She alleges that these organizations are often asked to rescue shelter dogs chosen by the defendants, with offers to fund the efforts fully. She added that the partnership ultimately creates goodwill and promotes the defendants' brands, such as the Jason Heigl Foundation and their pet food line.

However, Alyssa contends that after initiating these rescues at the defendants' request, they failed to uphold their financial commitments, significantly burdening the rescue organizations.

She cited an example where a $15,000 bill was partially settled with only $800 by Nancy. As a result, Alyssa is seeking $349,000 in damages, interest, and additional compensation.

On March 5, Katherine, her mother, and the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation sued Alyssa for defamation, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and breach of contract.

In the court documents, Katherine and her mom said they were approached in 2022 by a non-profit rescue named The Pitty Committee, run by the defendant Alyssa.

Katherine said her non-profit agreed to pay The Pitty Committee a monthly donation fee in exchange for them rescuing a minimum prescribed number of dogs that Katherine's Foundation chose.

Katherine said her Foundation satisfied all payment obligations under the deal and paid over six figures "of funding" to The Pitty Committee to save at-risk dogs.

The actress expressed frustration over Alyssa, claiming she exploited her kindness by treating the donations as an open-ended financial resource. Katherine also criticized her former associate for being unable to meet the commitments outlined in their agreement.

Furthermore, she accused Alyssa of mishandling the donated funds and persistently asking for more money beyond what was stipulated in their contract, which ultimately expired in January 2024.

Consequently, Katherine's non-profit organization opted not to renew its agreement with Alyssa and her company. Katherine and her mother accused Alyssa of launching an online smear campaign against the Jason Debus Heigl Foundation and the Heigls, driven by greed and financial struggles. 

They claimed Alyssa made false and defamatory allegations, accusing the Foundation and the Heigls of mistreating rescue dogs, failing to deliver on promised funding, and stealing from The Pitty Committee. This, they argued, was an attempt to damage their reputations and coerce financial compensation.

The lawsuit highlighted that instead of expressing gratitude for the non-profit's contributions to the rescue community, Alyssa sought to exploit Katherine's celebrity status rather than accept the dissolution of their business relationship.

The suit also noted that Alyssa had previously praised the Foundation's efforts but turned against them once donations ceased. 

Despite requests to retract her false statements, Alyssa refused, prompting Katherine and her mother to pursue legal action for unspecified damages and to compel the removal of the defamatory posts.

Never the one to tolerate an unpleasant situation, the actress reflected in 2022 during an interview with SiriusXM host Bevy Smith on her departure from "Grey's Anatomy" in 2010.

Sharing insights into her decision-making process at the time, The Blast noted that Heigl described her experience on the show as characterized by a high level of "insanity" that negatively impacted her health, leading her to leave in a state of panic. 

While she felt justified in her choice back then, she expressed a sense of regret over not taking more time to consider her options.

Looking back, she wished she had paused to reflect, calm herself, and explore possibilities for her role, such as committing to a limited number of episodes per season.

Interesting times are certainly ahead for Katherine Heigl as she slugs it out in court with her former associate!