A Massachusetts financier who pleaded not guilty in the college admissions scandal is suing Netflix for defamation following the release of the streaming giant's new documentary "Operation Varsity Blues."
John B. Wilson, his wife, Leslie Wilson, and their son filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Superior Court in Essex claiming that the documentary, which premiered March 17, is the "ultimate destruction of their reputations."
Wilson, along with dozens of other parents, was arrested in March 2019 by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in a sweeping admissions scandal, dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues." Wilson is accused of paying $120,000 to hold a spot on the men's water polo team at the University of Southern California so his son could attend, according to NBC Boston.
Wilson was also allegedly working on two other deals to get his daughters into Stanford and Harvard, the outlet reported. He pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud.
The lawsuit states that Wilson is innocent and was "deceived" by William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind behind the scheme. It says that prior to the documentary's release, Netflix was warned in writing that the Wilsons "could not simply be grouped into a narrative" with other parents who have pleaded guilty.
"No individual, including a defendant awaiting trial in a criminal case, is required to sit by and permit the unlawful and unfair destruction of their reputation by a global media outlet," the lawsuit states.
It accuses the streaming platform of ignoring the facts and painting "the Wilsons with the broadest and dirtiest brush possible."
The documentary tells the story of Singer, who used a "side door" scheme to help wealthy parents — including actors Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman — get their children into elite colleges and universities through bribes or having them pose as fake athletic recruits.
In some of the cases, the parents are accused of paying Singer to proctor and correct their children's college entrance exam tests.
The lawsuit states that Wilson was referred to Singer by a "world-renowned financial advisory firm" that presented Singer as a "highly reputable college admissions counselor."
He believed his payments to Singer were "legitimate donations" to assist his children's admissions to the schools, the suit says.
"Among other things, the Wilsons made clear to Defendants that Mr. Wilson’s son was a real and talented water polo player who was part of the United States Olympic development program, that his daughters had 99th percentile test scores based on tests that they themselves took, and other publicly available exculpatory information, all of which the Wilsons provided to Defendants," it says.
The family wants public apologies from Netflix and the producers of the documentary, as well as monetary damages.
Netflix did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.