Actor Rob Lowe and his wife Sheryl claim that their former nanny is trying to extort them. Though it’s not clear exactly what the nanny’s allegations are – and she is never named – Lowe has decided to refute them head on, rather than pay the nanny’s purported $1.5 million demands. She claims she’s owed this money due to the anguish she suffered while working for the Lowes on and off for seven years. Rob wrote a fairly long piece that was published today in the Huffington Post, in which he defends himself and his family.

A former employee is demanding my wife Sheryl and I pay her 1.5 million dollars by the end of the week or she will accuse us both of a vicious laundry list of false terribles. It is an attempt to damage and humiliate not only my wife and me, but our two young sons as well. My family is devastated at this betrayal; this woman worked in our home and traveled with us off and on for seven years, without complaint. In fact, she left other jobs to return to work for us three different times. Several weeks ago she quit abruptly, leaving us without a replacement.

Everyone knows we live in a time where public figures are targets. But I also know of many people in everyday life who are paying the price of a climate where anyone can accuse anybody of anything, anytime, and hope for a big cash pay-off at the end. “Hush money” to just go away. Well I won’t go away. No one intimidates my family. My wife and I have many former and long term employees, all of whom know this woman, who can and will refute any claims of anything inappropriate in our home, or anywhere else. We will defend ourselves with vigor and without fear.

[From the Huffington Post]

Lowe goes on to share some text messages the nanny sent to Lowe’s wife Sheryl right after she left, in which she apologizes for not giving any notice and reiterates how much she loves their family. The nanny also says she knows she wasn’t doing well at her job, and it somehow seems like she’s got her own problems.

I never had any opinion one way or the other about Rob Lowe before this, but I have to say the guy seems pretty upright. Imagine how easy it would have been for him to pay off this employee. I seriously doubt that $1.5 million would be any huge amount of money for him. He could easily have parted with it to keep the nanny quiet. Yet instead he refused, and decided to make his case before she could go to the media. He doesn’t dignify her accusations by going into them in detail – really all we know is that, in his mind, they’re not real. It definitely takes a lot of guts to write about extortion instead of giving in to it.

Here’s Rob and Sheryl at the 16th Annual Carousel of Hope Gala Event on 10/23/2004. Header of Rob and Sheryl with their sons Edward and John at the 46th Annual Dodger Hollywood All-Star Game on 8/7/2004. Images thanks to PR Photos.