Judge dismisses defamation lawsuit filed by an LA bachelor against more than 50 women after discovering they discussed him in a Facebook group titled “Are we dating the same guy?”

A judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by an LA bachelor against more than 50 women after discovering they discussed him in a Facebook group called ‘Are we dating the same guy?’.

Dozens of women called Stewart Lucas Murray, from Santa Monica, a “bad date” before he took the step to press charges after being branded a murderer on the forum and accused of having STDs.

But a judge in downtown Los Angeles ruled in favor of defendant Vanessa Valdez.

The women argued that they had done nothing wrong by posting their personal opinions in a private online group on social media.

The judge found no evidence of collusion on the part of the women and approved an Anti-SLAPP motion – which protects those who speak out on matters of public interest from unlawful lawsuits filed to silence them.

“It just feels really good to be cleared of all charges. It wasn’t just the two defamation charges, but all 11 charges were brought against me,” Valdes said during a press conference on Monday.

“We all have several Anti-SLAPP hearings in the coming weeks and we obviously hope that Vanessa’s ruling sets a precedent for future hearings,” said another defendant, Olivia Berger.

The judge also reportedly ruled that based on the evidence presented, the court saw no possibility of Murray prevailing against the defendants on any claim he made.

It comes after the Yale-educated scholar tried to sue dozens of potential suitors last month after claiming he was the victim of false and defamatory posts and comments about him in the group.

He planned to sue for, among other things, defamation, sex discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and invasion of privacy.

The lawsuit stemmed from the private Los Angeles-based social media group, which has more than 52,500 members.

It is billed as a place where daters can highlight any warnings about potentially harmful and deceitful men.

Murray had alleged that the women posted a variety of false statements about him, including claims that he had lied about his profession as a lawyer, had tried to take money from them and had sexually transmitted diseases.

He also highlighted that the post made more serious claims, including that he was facing several domestic violence charges, was suspected of murder and was involved in a murder case.

Murray has denied all the claims, claiming he only remembers meeting one of the women for “less than 15 minutes.”

But last month, Murray claimed in a GoFundMe post that he matched with a woman on a dating app before giving her his phone number and then quickly blocking her because he was suspicious of her photos.

“Instead of going her own way, she posted about me in a few of these Facebook groups, obsessively searching for information, posting her own original post about me several times a year, and later calling me a ‘viral’ subject,” he said. said.

He further claimed that he had never met the woman in real life and that “the first time I actually saw her face was on TV when she took part 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 made up stories about their encounter.

‘Let me repeat: I have never met most of them in my life. I have hardly, if ever, spoken to any of them. I just remember meeting one of them and her for less than 15 minutes before I left,” Murray added.

“Any minimal interaction with them was abruptly interrupted by my quick rejection. When I saw them on TV to give a press conference about me, it was the first time I saw most of their faces.”

The irate bachelor accused several women of ‘hateful’ and ‘relentless cyberbullying’ before his business went under.

Since then, he has raised over $5,450 of his $60,000 goal through his personal fundraising campaign, which he claims will go toward “the enormous amount of legal fees, adjusters, deposition costs, investigation and time to complete an overwhelming amount of work against multiple defendants’. ‘.

One of the defendants, Valdes, revealed that she had been in contact with Murray on Hinge.

She said KTL reporters last month: ‘Right out of the gate, (he) gave me his phone number and said, “Let’s hang out.”

‘I responded with a happy face with a message saying ‘bold move’, and then a barrage of intimidating messages followed. That’s why I immediately blocked and reported him.’

Vanessa claimed that she didn’t comment on a post about her exchange with Murray until years later.

The lawsuit alleged that Murray had consistently attempted to join the group to defend himself, but was denied entry.

Are we dating the same guy? The Facebook page has a long description that reads: “This group is a place for women to protect, support and empower other women.

‘A place where women can speak freely, openly and honestly, without fear of bullying 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.”

‘You can use it to check if someone has posted warnings about someone you are considering dating.

‘It can be used to inquire about someone you are dating or who may be on a date, to see if anyone has had experiences with that person.

‘This is a safe place where women can ask for advice and relationship support, and post anything else dating related that might help bring us together, keep us safe or help us help each other.’