A judge has dismissed a defamation suit filed by a Los Angeles bachelor against more than 50 women after he discovered they were talking about him in a Facebook group titled “Are We Dating the Same Man?”
Dozens of women called Santa Monica’s Stewart Lucas Murray a ‘bad date’ before he made the decision to sue after claiming he was called a murderer and accused of having IST on the forum.
But a downtown Los Angeles judge ruled in favor of defendant Vanessa Valdez.
The women claimed they did nothing wrong by posting their personal opinions in a private online social media group.
The judge found no evidence of conspiracy by the women and granted an anti-SLAPP motion — which protects those who speak out on matters of public interest from malicious lawsuits brought to silence them.
Stewart Lucas Murray of Santa Monica attempted to sue dozens of women who he said defamed him through Facebook posts. His lawsuit has now been thrown out by a Los Angeles judge
The lawsuit stems from the social media group, which currently has more than 52,500 members, where daters issue warnings about potentially dangerous or deceptive men.
“It feels really good to be dismissed on all counts, it wasn’t just the two counts of defamation, but all 11 counts against me,” Valdes said during of a press conference on Monday.
“We all have various anti-SLAPP hearings in the coming weeks and we obviously hope that with Vanessa’s decision it will set a precedent for subsequent hearings,” said another defendant, Olivia Berger.
The judge also reportedly concluded that, based on the evidence presented, the court saw no possibility that Murray would prevail against the defendants on the claims he had made.
It comes after the educated Yale academic attempted to sue dozens of potential suitors last month after claiming he was subjected to false and defamatory posts and comments about him in the group.
He planned to file suit on a range of charges, including defamation, gender discrimination, intentional emotional infliction, slander and invasion of privacy, among others.
The lawsuit comes from the private Los Angeles-specific social media group, which has more than 52,500 members.
It is labeled as a place where daters can highlight any warnings about potentially dangerous and deceptive men.
Murray had alleged that the women posted various false statements about him, including claims that he lied about his status as a lawyer, attempted to defraud them of money and suffered from sexually transmitted diseases.
He also pointed out that the post contained more serious allegations, including that he was facing multiple domestic violence charges and that he was suspected of murder and involved in a homicide case.
Murray has denied all allegations, alleging he only remembers meeting one of the women “for less than 15 minutes.”
Murray started a GoFundMe page where he claimed to have only met one of the women briefly and said: “When I saw them on TV having a press conference about me, it was the first time I saw most of their faces.
But in a GoFundMe post last month, Murray claimed he met a woman on a dating app before giving her his phone number, then quickly blocking her because he was suspicious of her photos.
“Instead of breaking up, she posted about me in a few of these Facebook groups, obsessively searching for information, hitting up her own original post about me several times a year, and later calling me a “viral” topic. ,” he says.
He went on to claim that he had never met the woman in real life and that “the first time I really saw her face was on TV when she participated in a press release about me”.
According to the Bachelor, at least 238 Facebook accounts posted his photos in the group, tracked his location and fabricated stories about how they met.
“Let me say it again: I have never met most of them in my life. I almost never spoke to any of them. I only remember meeting one of them and her less than 15 minutes before I left,” Murray added.
“Any minimal interaction with them was abruptly cut short by my rapid rejection. When I saw them on TV holding a press conference about me, it was the first time I had seen most of their faces.
The furious bachelor accused several women of “hateful” and “relentless” cyberbullying before his case collapsed.
He has since raised more than $5,450 of his $60,000 goal through his personal fundraising, which he says will go toward “the large amount of legal fees, damages adjuster, filing fees , research and time to deal with a huge amount of work against multiple defendants. ‘.
One of the defendants, Valdes, revealed that she had contact with Murray on Hinge.
She told KTLA reporters last month, “Right off the bat, (he) gave me his phone number and said, ‘Let’s hang up.’
“I commented with a message saying ‘bold move’ with a happy face and then a barrage of harassing messages came afterward. So I immediately blocked him and reported him.
The judge ruled in favor of the accused Vanessa Valdes, who revealed that she had had links with the bachelor of Hinge
Vanessa claimed that it wasn’t until years later that she commented on an article about her exchange with Murray.
The lawsuit claimed that Murray constantly attempted to join the group to defend himself, but was denied access.
The question Are we with the same guy? The Facebook page has a lengthy description that says: “This group is a place for women to protect, support and empower other women.
“A place where women can express themselves freely, openly and honestly without fear of harassment or intimidation. There are four main uses of this page.
“It can be used as a place where women can warn other women about liars, cheaters, abusers, or anyone exhibiting any type of toxic or dangerous behavior.”
“It can be used to check if anyone has posted warnings about someone you are considering dating.”
“It can be used to inquire about someone you are dating or could potentially date to see if anyone has had experiences with that person.
“This is a safe space for women to seek relationship advice and support, as well as post anything dating related that can help us come together, stay safe, or help each other others.”
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