A Los Angeles man filed a defamation suit against more than 50 women who posted about him in a Facebook group called “Are We Dating the Same Guy?”
Stewart Lucas Murrey accuses members of that group of engaging in online conversations that falsely tie him to domestic abuse, a murder case and extortion, according to KTLA in Los Angeles. The suit also says the women claimed Murrey has a sexually transmitted disease.
The defendants — many of whom never met Murrey and are seeking legal representation— were in a California court Tuesday. They included Olivia Berger, who reportedly said she did once dated the “arrogant and smug” plaintiff after meeting him on Tinder in 2021.
“It was the typical bad date behavior,” Berger said of her experience with Murrey.
She stands by claims that he ranted about conspiracy theories and expressed opinions incompatible with her own. A defendant who said she met Murrey on the dating site Hinge claims to have blocked him following a series of harassing messages.
Murrey said he tried joining the “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” to defend himself but his requests were repeatedly denied.
“For years, key defendants obsessively tracked, stalked and incited harassment against me,” Murrey told KTLA. “These are women with whom I had little to no interaction.”
He claims he rejected the key defendants now making disparaging comments about him, and those women responded with months of online attacks.
“Their actions were deliberate, and now they are playing the victims,” Murrey claimed.
His civil suit also reportedly alleges sex-based discrimination and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Facebook groups operate throughout the country including in New York City. Their stated objective is to provide “a place for women to protect, support, and empower other women.”
The New York group’s rules prohibit members from commenting on men they know nothing about personally and spreading false information. The disclaimer warns “If you don’t have any proof of allegations you make against someone posted in this group, you are in danger of being sued for libel and/or defamation.”
An Illinois man filed suit against “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” in January claiming he was defamed by the group’s users.
