Katherine Heigl has sued a California dog rescue for defamation.
According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, Heigl, 46, and her mother filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 5, against the organization The Pitty Committee and its owner, Alyssa Deetman. The actress and her mom run the Jason Heigl Foundation — which is named after Katherine’s late brother — and their organization previously partnered with the rescue.
The filing claimed that Deetman spread false information about the foundation and mismanaged funds, which resulted in a negative impact on the foundation’s ability to operate in the rescue business. Heigl is accusing Deetman of defamation, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and breach of contract. She is looking to have the case be decided by a jury trial.
The Jason Heigl Foundation began working with The Pitty Committee in January 2023. The foundation was founded in 2008 to help combat the pet population crisis by offering affordable spay and neuter access in addition to supporting non-profit animal rescues.
Many stars have come under fire for their pet ownership, including Rachel “Raquel” Leviss and Pete Davidson. The Vanderpump Rules star and then-fiancé James Kennedy adopted their pooch, Graham Cracker, amid their early courtship. After they split in December 2021, Leviss retained custody of the dog, but many costars called out his poor behavior. “Rachel would bring […]
Both organizations agreed that the foundation would provide a monthly donation in exchange for the animal rescue getting a ”minimum prescribed number of dogs” of the foundation’s “choosing.”
Heigl’s complaint alleged that Deetman saw the foundation’s contributions as a “blank check” and asked for additional funds not outlined in their original agreement. The foundation claimed that when Deetman was asked for more information about the potential additional funds, the requests went “unanswered and unexplained.”
Katherine Heigl Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images
The foundation argued that it held up its portion of the agreement while Deetman and The Pitty Committee did not.
After working with The Pitty Committee for a year, the Jason Heigl Foundation decided not to renew its contract and let the previous one expire. The organization claimed that the lack of transparency and monetary issues were the main reasons for its departure.
However, once the foundation decided to end the partnership, the organization claimed that Deetman “engaged in an online smear campaign” against the foundation.
It’s been over a decade since Grey’s Anatomy fans saw Izzie, but that doesn’t mean that fans have forgotten about Katherine Heigl’s time on the series. “I felt very protective of Izzie,” Heigl told USA Today in 2010. “I really loved her. I felt she was an admirable woman who certainly made mistakes. But I […]
“The Jason Heigl Foundation is a scam. Another celebrity phony who uses animal advocacy as a shield,” Deetman allegedly wrote in a caption of a TikTok video per the docs. Deetman claimed that they “stick [the dogs] into tiny kennels where they are forgotten about.”
The social media post came the same day that Deetman allegedly “sang the praises” of Heigl, her mom and their foundation while asking to revisit their partnership.
According to the paperwork, Deetman allegedly acknowledged the monetary mismanagement and praised the “good, amazing solid work” from the Jason Heigl Foundation.
