Renner Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Romantic Scam

Freshly out of a 20-year marriage, divorcée Marnie Reeves claims she turned to her former high schoolmate-turned-Hollywood superstar for some male attention.

The Modesto, , native claims she 'liked'  official Instagram post in April 2023 while he was recovering from a . 

But the seemingly innocent social media move allegedly kickstarted a series of events which Reeves claims saw her contacted by an unverified account claiming to be Renner that has allegedly scammed Reeves out of $23,450 and hundreds more in legal fees, as she lays out in a lawsuit against Renner, 55, for fraud.

'I have been mentally sick, and could not eat for [a] year, lost my hair my dignity and my self worth,' Reeves, 56, wrote in a 549-page complaint filed in December 2024. 

'I just came out of 20-year abusive marriage just to get connected to Jeremy Renner,' according to the complaint.

Renner, however, has adamantly denied having ever spoken to Reeves and claims she was duped by an internet scammer using his name for monetary gain.

'This case is not about anything Defendant Jeremy Renner did,' the actor's high-powered lawyers said in a legal filing obtained by the Daily Mail. 

'It is nothing more than frivolous litigation premised entirely on Plaintiff’s self-generated belief that she was in a romantic relationship with Defendant—a belief that has no basis in fact.'

In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Reeves refused to back down on her belief that she was indeed romantically involved with the real Renner.  

She also claims in her complaint that the actor allegedly conspired with his relatives to help him defraud her.

According to Reeves, after 'liking' Renner's post, she began engaging with a man claiming to be the Bourne Legacy star. He never used Renner's verified Instagram account to communicate with her, though, and so she admits many have dismissed it as a 'catfish situation.' She has not.

Reeves claims in her complaint that shortly after that first message, she then connected with who she believed was Renner's mother, Valerie Cearley, on Instagram. They allegedly exchanged pleasantries over their hometown of Modesto, and Reeves claims the matriarch eventually gave her Renner's personal number.

'I'm sure he's going to be happy a classmate would like to talk to him,' Reeves claimed Cearley told her. 

The Daily Mail has verified that the account Reeves interacted with no longer exists and it appears that Cearley's real Instagram account is under a different handle. Cearley could not be reached for comment.

After obtaining a number she believed belonged to Renner, Reeves said she and whom she thought was the actor spoke via WhatsApp nearly every day for hours from April to August 2023.

However, very early on, she said she received messages about payments from a person using the moniker Lasse Larsson, whom she believed was part of Renner's management team. The messages implored her to buy a 'fan card' and make other purchases in order to keep communicating with the actor.

Renner's lawyers have denied that their client has any involvement with Larsson.

The Daily Mail reviewed dozens of emails and text messages submitted into evidence that were sent between May to August 2023. Most of the communication saw Reeves referred to as 'madam,' had grammatical errors and demanded large sums of money.

A May 2023 email listed options for a 'normal' package for $1,100, a 'VIP Silver Ticket' for $3850, a 'VIP Gold Ticket' for $5789 and a 'VIP Diamond ticket' for $10,888.