A California judge on Monday dismissed one of many cases brought forth by a man who is suing dozens of women for sharing stories about him in multiple private Facebook groups, including offshoots of the viral “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” group.
Stewart Lucas Murrey is suing more than 50 women — nine of whom he names in his complaint — saying they “conspired to harm [his] reputation and violate his right to free speech based upon his sex and other discriminatory elements,” according to court documents reviewed by NBC News.
In his initial complaint, filed in June 2023, Murrey states that much of his “emotional distress” was due to posts made in several “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” groups local to Los Angeles and Orange County. These are part of a network of more than 150 private Facebook groups where women post about men they’re seeking to vet with help from others who may have dated the same person.
On Monday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Gregory Keosian granted one defendant, Vanessa Valdes, an anti-SLAPP motion, a common legal mechanism for dismissing “strategic lawsuits against public participation,” or lawsuits determined to chill the exercise of free expression.
“While I am grateful for this outcome, I want to highlight that there are still other defendants continuing to fight this battle,” Valdes wrote in an email statement to NBC News. “I want to make it clear that I do not condone retaliation against the plaintiff; the courts will continue to do its intended work. It is my sincere hope that baseless lawsuits like this do not happen to others in the future.”
In an email statement to NBC News on Wednesday, Murrey said he “will soon issue a more serious and nuanced statement regarding the last hearing.”
“This ruling should not be misconstrued at a surface level nor embolden and normalize cyberstalkers,” he wrote.
He also noted that his “lawsuit is against multiple defendants.”
In a statement posted Monday to his…
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