A Chicago man was so unhappy with what was said about him in a "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" Facebook group that he decided to file a lawsuit against 27 women, one man, 20 different parts of the Facebook corporation, Meta, Patreon, GoFundMe, and the website arewedatingthesame.com.
According to 404 Media, Nikko D’Ambrosio is suing for seven counts — defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy by false light, civil liability for doxxing, misappropriation, unjust enrichment, and public disclosure of private facts.
"Are We Dating The Same Guy?" Facebook groups offer a platform for women to seek out more information about men they're dating. Now that many people are using apps to meet people, they might not know anyone who knows the person they match with. "Are We Dating The Same Guy?" groups allow people to get information about their dates from other people who know them. The groups were started with the intention of looking out for and helping other women. Typically, someone will post an image and a short description of a man to see if anyone knows him — they might want to find out if he's cheating or if other women have had negative experiences with him.
On arewedatingthesame.com, the groups are described as "a unique platform designed for both guys and gals to report and learn about individuals they encounter on dating websites."
"The platform aims to foster fairness and transparency in the online dating world by creating a space where users can share their experiences and make informed decisions about the males and females they go on dates with," the statement on the website reads.
More from LittleThings: Virginia Giuffre Says Epstein Paid Her $15,000 To Have Sex with Prince Andrew At Age 17
D’Ambrosio alleges that comments about him that were shared in the "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" Chicago subgroup were "provably false and defamatory.”
According to the lawsuit, the post that contained "false and defamatory" content was removed but then later reposted anonymously.
“Thousands of men have been potentially defamed by members of the group via these online publications, and remain entirely unaware of the attacks on their character as a result of the social media group’s private status and heavily moderated members list,” the lawsuit claims.
It also states that the posts in the group caused D’Ambrosio to experience "impairment of reputation and standing in the community, personal humiliation, mental anguish and suffering, emotional distress, stress, anxiety, lost earnings" and other losses.
D’Ambrosio's photo was shared in the Facebook group, along with warnings from women about how he was "clingy" and "ghosted" them, 404 Media reported. The outlet also reported that one person who commented in the group wrote, "He’s been posted here before. The poster said he sent her a slew of texts calling her names because she didn’t want to spend the night with him," referring to D’Ambrosio.
In the complaint, D’Ambrosio alleged that the woman who originally posted about him in the group is one that he met at an event.
"Plaintiff and Defendant engaged in consensual sexual intercourse on the evening they first met. The parties spent brief periods of time together on a handful of occasions which were unremarkable. The parties never engaged in an exclusive dating relationship," the lawsuit stated.
The woman allegedly accused him of being "very clingy very fast" within the group. She also accused him of "flaunting money very awkwardly" and said he "kept talking about how I don't want to see his bad side, especially when he was on business calls."
There are "Are We Dating the Same Guy?" subgroups for cities around the country. Though the groups were initially started with the goal of protecting women, D’Ambrosio is not the only person who has taken issue with the groups. The groups have rules — but some worry that the rules are not always followed or enforced. Although D’Ambrosio admitted that posts don't usually include men's last names, that doesn't eliminate privacy and safety concerns.
D’Ambrosio claims that the behavior in the group is "so outrageous in character and so extreme in degree that it is beyond all possible bounds of decency and is to be regarded as atrocious and utterly intolerable in a civilized community.”
He also alleges that the women posted the comments about him "with knowledge that the statements were false or with reckless disregard as whether or not they were true."
