Ryan Phillippe is being sued by a woman who claims that her hair caught on fire at his restaurant in Los Angeles.
Jody Sanders is suing Phillippe, 50, as well as his business partner, Jeffrey Best, and their Beverly Hills restaurant, The Hideaway, for general negligence, according to court documents obtained by Us Weekly on Wednesday, May 28.
The docs state that Sanders was sitting at the bar in The Hideaway on April 6, 2024, “when the accident happened.” Her hair was allegedly “burned by an unattended wax candle burning” on the surface of the bar.
Sanders is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.
Phillippe opened The Hideaway, an upscale Mexican steakhouse, in July 2022. A source told Us Weekly on Wednesday that “Ryan is a minority investor in this restaurant and is not involved in day to day operations. It’s not clear as to why he’s listed in this lawsuit as he’s one of many minority investors and not one of the owners.”
The source noted that Sanders’ claims “were settled by the restaurant’s insurance a year ago.”
Phillippe rose to fame in the 1990s as the star in films including I Know What You Did Last Summer, 54, and Cruel Intentions. The actor and investor married Reese Witherspoon, his costar in the latter film, in 1999. The exes divorced in 2006 and share daughter Ava, 25, and son Deacon, 21. (Phillippe also shares daughter Kai, 13, with ex Alexis Knapp.)
Phillippe currently costars with Deacon in Prime Video’s Motorheads, a coming-of-age series that premiered on May 20. Phillippe plays the role of Logan Maddox, while Deacon appears in flashbacks as Logan’s younger brother, Christian.
“It’s so unique to be in a situation like this where you’re both working on a show with really good people,” Phillippe exclusively told Us at the show’s L.A. premiere on May 13. “It definitely wasn’t lost on either of us.”
He recalled being on set with Deacon, adding, “There were times when we would look at each other and just be like, ‘Can you believe that we’re actually doing this?’”
Despite his long list of film and TV credits, Phillippe noted that fatherhood is the job in which he takes the most pride.
“I’m proud of all three of my children,” he told Us. “It’s such an honor to be a father, generally — and they make me proud every day in different ways.”
Motorheads executive producer John A. Norris told Us that Phillippe pulled no strings in his son’s casting.
“Him showing up [to set] — not to play Logan — but because his son was there was really sweet. He really was not involved in the hiring of Deacon,” Norris said. “We sort of kept it from him for a little while. Then we came to him and yeah, he would show up.”
