Katherine Heigl is suing a California dog rescue organization for defamation.

The actress and her mother, Nancy Heigl — who both founded the animal rescue Jason Heigl Foundation, named for Katherine's late brother — filed a lawsuit on Wednesday, March 5 against dog rescue organization The Pitty Committee as well as its owner, Alyssa Deetman.

The complaint, which was obtained and reviewed by PEOPLE, alleges that Deetman spread false information about the Jason Heigl Foundation — which the plaintiffs say contradicts the two parties' private conversations — and mismanaged funds, resulting in a negative impact on the foundation's ability to function in the rescue business.

The Jason Heigl Foundation entered into a contract with The Pitty Committee — or JHF and TPC, respectively, as each organization is referred to in the complaint — around January 2023. Both organizations agreed that JHF would provide a monthly donation in exchange for TPC "rescuing a minimum prescribed number of dogs of JHF's choosing."

The foundation "discovered that TPC and Deetman saw their contributions as a proverbial 'blank check,'" and claims that they asked for additional funds that were not outlined in their agreement, the complaint alleges.

The complaint claims that while JHF honored their commitment to providing the monthly funds, TPC did not fulfill its respective responsibilities. Furthermore, JFH alleges that any requests for information by JHF "went unanswered and unexplained."

In January 2024, one year after the contract was established, JHF opted not to renew the agreement and let it expire, per the complaint, alleging that the transparency and monetary issues contributed to JHF's decision.

"In response ... Deetman engaged in an online smear campaign against JHF and the Heigls," the complaint alleges. "Deetman made false, defamatory, and derogatory accusations that JHF and the Heigls have mistreated rescue dogs, failed to provide promised funding, and stole from TPC, all in an effort to ruin JHF and the Heigl's reputation and/or coerce some sort of monetary payout."

In a screenshot from a post on TPC's TikTok page, which was included in the complaint, Deetman wrote a lengthy caption about JHF and the Heigls, which they claim to be false and defamatory.

"The Jason Heigl Foundation is a scam. Another celebrity phony who uses animal advocacy as a shield," the caption began. Deetman claimed that they "stick [the dogs] into tiny kennels where they are forgotten about."

The complaint states that Deetman "sang the praises" of the Heigls and JHF on the same day while asking to revisit their partnership. JHF claims that a number of subsequent private correspondences from Deetman established that the defendant "understood that JHF did not owe her or TPC any money under the terms of the Agreement, not that she believed JHF engaged in the falsely alleged behavior in her social media posts."

Furthermore, the complaint alleges Deetman acknowledged her own monetary mismanagement, as well as the "good, amazing solid work" from JHF and the Heigls.

The complaint accuses Deetman and TPC of defamation, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage and breach of contract, and insists the case be brought to trial before a jury.