Potential Facebook Defamation: Posting in Groups Like "Are We Dating the Same Guy"

"Are We Dating The Same Guy?" is a series of over 200 individual Facebook groups, comprising over 3.5 million members, where women share the dating profiles of men they matched with on dating networks to seek the opinion of other women who may have dated that same man in the past. The feminist groups are specific to geographical areas such as Los Angeles and New York city, and are moderated by volunteers. The group is described as "A place where woman can speak freely, openly, and honestly without the fear of harassment or intimidation."

POTENTIAL FOR LAWSUITS

While the group hopes to keep the conversations private, postings on the internet are legally seen as a public statement subject to the potential for liability. Just because the group is set to “private” does not mean your posts will not be found—and neither does deleting your posts later. Unless you are using a VPN, your posts can usually be traced back to you.

Members of this group sometimes 1) post without being anonymous, 2) take screenshots of a man's dating profile and posting it into the group, asking "any tea?", 3) post personal information of the guy (name, address, work information), 4) post stories about the man, and more.

These sorts of actions could potentially lead to a lawsuit alleging causes of action for:

• Defamation

• Sex-based discrimination (Unruh Civil Rights Act)

• Gender Violence

• Invasion of Privacy

• Intentional/Negligent Infliction of Emotional Distress

• Intentional/Negligent Interference with contract

• Civil Conspiracy

• Harassment/Doxxing

• Invasion of Privacy

• False Light

Attorney Albert Hughes III has been successful in defending lawsuits involving Defamation, including this specific Facebook group. If you have been threatened or served with a lawsuit alleging defamation or any of the other above causes of action, please reach out to Attorney Albert Hughes III to protect yourself from serious legal consequences.