LIVINGSTON COUNTY, Mo. (Court TV) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard has filed a lawsuit against a content creator she previously worked with, accusing the blogger of fraud, breach of contract and defamation.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is seen next to a car as she exits prison on Dec. 28, 2023. (Photo: Daniel William McKnight)
Blanchard, whose name is now legally Gypsy Rose Anderson, was released from prison in Dec. 2023 after serving less than 10 years for the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Gypsy Rose pleaded guilty to the murder after the investigation into the case revealed that Gypsy Rose had been a victim of child abuse. Investigators determined that Gypsy Rose’s mother had forced her to undergo medical procedures and surgeries that were unnecessary, as well as lied about Gypsy’s health to get money.
Dee Dee’s murder garnered national attention, prompting Gypsy Rose to have contact with people during her prison term who were interested in publicizing her life story. Now, Gypsy Rose and her family are suing one of the people she spoke to while in prison.
In a lawsuit obtained by Court TV, Gypsy Rose and her family say they began talking to April Johns, also known as Franchesca “Fancy” Macelli, in 2017 and that Johns presented herself as an “up and coming producer” with her own company, Mad Ginger Entertainment. Johns entered into a “Life Rights Option Agreement” with Gypsy Rose and her family. Under that agreement, the Blanchard family gave Johns interviews and access to elements of the case files, which included private medical records, family photos and crime scene photos.
READ MORE | Gypsy’s Version: Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s story in her own words
The lawsuit claims that the family terminated their agreement when Johns did not “secure any media projects or produce any marketable content.” But despite ending their relationship the lawsuit accuses Johns of continuing to create and post content about the family against their wishes. Things escalated when Gypsy Rose’s prison release date was announced.
“I’m so sick of Gypsy… Like I honestly want to bury her so far down a rabbit hole and I think if I dig deep enough I could make her look so f***ing bad,” read one statement included in the lawsuit attributed to Johns. Another statement appears to question whether Gypsy Rose was the victim of abuse, saying, “It ain’t f***ing medical child abuse. We’ve been had. F*** it Bitch. Sue me.”
In the lawsuit, the Blanchard family alleges that Johns’ content became more frequent, with her sometimes posting multiple times per day and often screaming and cursing. The family also alleges that Johns has continued to use the materials she accessed under the agreement in her posts.
The Blanchard family has asked for a restraining order against Johns in addition to unspecified damages. The lawsuit alleges that Johns has been falsely accusing the family of stalking her on social media and has encouraged others to do the same.
