A man who sued several women after dozens called him out as a “bad date” in a private Facebook group has had the first of his defamation lawsuits dismissed, according to Fox 11. A Los Angeles judge threw out the first case by Stewart Lucas Murray—who filed suit against more than 50 women—with the judge claiming he found no evidence of a conspiracy. The women posted in a private online group, “Are We Dating The Same Guy?” Within it, dozens of women described him as a “bad date.” Murray, who was seeking over $2 million in damages, then sued, claiming the women labeled him a murderer and accused him of having STIs. The women simply said they were doing nothing wrong by posting in the private group. The judge, ruling in favor of defendant Vanessa Valdes, also granted an Anti-SLAPP motion which prevents people from being silenced by abuse of the legal system. “Just feel really good to be dismissed from all counts, it wasn’t just the two counts of defamation, but all 11 counts that he filed against me, the judge ruled against,” Valdes said during a press conference Monday. Added defendant Olivia Berger: “We have various Anti-SLAPP hearings in the weeks to come and obviously we hope that with Vanessa's ruling it kind of sets the precedent for the following hearings.” In an April 8 statement, Murray said that this was a “situation that is bigger than mere libel,” adding he is “prepared for the long fight ahead.”
