Actor John Krasinski’s brother, who has been facing heat for violations at his Plymouth nonprofit, has sued eight women for an alleged “highly coordinated” defamation campaign to “destroy” him.

The women who Paul Krasinski sued in Plymouth Superior Court last week include former local TV reporter and anchor Jackie Bruno and realtor Danielle Cyr-Defrias — both exes of Krasinski who are firing back after his lawsuit.

Krasinski’s defamation suit against the women comes after the town of Plymouth ordered him to stop his nonprofit operations due to building code violations. The town sent him cease-and-desist orders to immediately halt operations at his educational facility, The Farmhouse, for violating fire safety codes and lacking the required permits.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail was reportedly working on an article about Krasinski’s “behavior towards women,” according to his exes.

“Danielle Cyr-Defrias and Jackie Bruno are saddened to learn that Paul Krasinski has chosen to use the legal system to punish and silence women who have spoken out against his inappropriate conduct towards them,” Cyr-Defrias and Bruno said in a joint statement through their lawyer.

“Mr. Krasinski rushed to file his complaint against Ms. Cyr-Defrias, Ms. Bruno, and six unnamed women after learning that the Daily Mail was on the verge of publishing news articles about his behavior towards women and about the Town of Plymouth’s recent order that Mr. Krasinski stop running educational programs through The Farmhouse until he obtains proper permitting,” they added. “Legal action should not be used to punish or to bury a story.”

In addition to Cyr-Defrias and Bruno, Krasinski filed the defamation lawsuit against six “Jane Doe” defendants.

The actor’s brother is accusing the eight women of a “highly coordinated operation with the singular goal of humiliating, defaming and destroying” him and his nonprofit.

Krasinski is claiming that the defendants have smeared him in the press and online over the last six months.

“This coordinated campaign of misconduct, for which all defendants are legally liable due to their active participation, involve abusive activities such as making false claims to the Internal Revenue Service, the Massachusetts Department of Children and Family Services and the installation of camera directed at The Farmhouse’s property so as to actively monitor visitors coming to and from the property, among other gross and intentional misconduct,” the lawsuit reads.

One social media comment that the suit includes is Cyr-Defrias posting on The Farmhouse’s Instagram page after she and Krasinski split.

“The Farmhouse is anything but a safe and supporting space,” her post stated. “If you know, you know.”

The lawsuit says about Cyr-Defrias’ comment: Her “false statements were an attempt to discourage families and children from exploring the opportunities presented through The Farmhouse.”

Also in the Facebook group “Are We Dating the Same Guy,” Cyr-Defrias reportedly wrote that Krasinski was a “master manipulator,” a “narcissistic sociopath,” and warned the group, “Ladies beware.”

The comments were “maliciously designed to ruin Mr. Krasinski’s reputation amongst the members of the Facebook group and inflict emotional distress on Mr. Krasinski,” the lawsuit reads.

When the Plymouth Independent reported about Krasinski’s nonprofit, Bruno was quoted in the article saying, “Paul is using the schools, the town, and people’s generosity and hope for opportunity to his advantage. I have since learned he cannot be trusted.”

The lawsuit says Bruno’s comments “falsely suggested to the Plymouth Independent’s readers that The Farmhouse is a sham charity run by Mr. Krasinski to further his own interests and advantage. This claim is utterly false and fabricated.”

But his exes are standing by their comments about Krasinski.

“It is not defamation to speak the truth,” Cyr-Defrias and Bruno said in the joint statement. “Nor is it defamation for Danielle and Jackie to state their opinions about the way Mr. Krasinski has treated them. Both Danielle and Jackie bravely used their voice and names to detail their experiences with Mr. Krasinski.

“We hope the court will quickly dismiss this meritless complaint,” they added. “But if this case proceeds to discovery, Danielle and Jackie are confident that the truth will be apparent after Mr. Krasinski is subjected to the rigors of the discovery process. They look forward to their day in court.”

Paul Krasinski’s ex Danielle Cyr-Defrias reportedly called him a “master manipulator” and a “narcissistic sociopath” in a Facebook group. (Screenshot from lawsuit)
NECN reporter Jackie Bruno reacts as Will Ferrell, in character as Anchorman 2’s Ron Burgundy, autographs a t-shirt during a news conference to rename Emerson College School of Communication as the Ron Burgundy School of Communication, Wednesday, December 04, 2013. (Angela Rowlings/Boston Herald/File)