Every defamation lawsuit brought over posts in the Are We Dating the Same Guy (AWDTSG) Facebook groups has been dismissed. The AWDTSG lawsuits, filed in California and Illinois by men who were discussed in the women-only groups, have failed at the trial court level and, in the Illinois case, on appeal. Judges have ruled that the posts were protected opinion on a matter of public interest, that the plaintiffs failed to identify specific false statements of fact, and that Meta is shielded by Section 230 for content its users create.
The Los Angeles Case: Murrey v. Gibbons
Stewart Lucas Murrey filed the first major suit in June 2023 in Los Angeles Superior Court (case no. 23STCV14890), initially naming 10 women, including Vanessa Valdes and Olivia Burger, over negative comments in the LA chapter of the group. His complaint alleged defamation, sex-based discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel, invasion of privacy, and civil conspiracy, and sought $2 million in damages.1Los Angeles Times. Dating the Same Guy Defamation Lawsuit2KTLA. L.A. Man Sues Over Women for Negative Comments on Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook Group Reporting indicated that more than 50 women had posted about Murrey in the group, and he eventually pursued claims against many of them, with total damages sought reaching roughly $2.6 million.3Sky News. Man Sues 50 Women Who Said He Was a Bad Date
California’s anti-SLAPP statute allows defendants to seek early dismissal of lawsuits that target speech on matters of public interest. Valdes was the first defendant to invoke it. On April 8, 2024, Judge Gregory Keosian granted her motion in full, dismissing all 11 counts against her. He found no evidence of a conspiracy and ruled that the posts concerned “a matter of public interest: women’s security against male violence and harassment.” The court concluded Murrey had no probability of prevailing on any of his claims, which spanned defamation, false light, gender violence, invasion of privacy, and interference with economic advantage.1Los Angeles Times. Dating the Same Guy Defamation Lawsuit4Rulings.law. Murrey v. Gibbons, 23STCV14890 Other named defendants had anti-SLAPP hearings scheduled in the weeks that followed, and legal experts quoted at the time expected similar results.5FOX 11 Los Angeles. Are We Dating the Same Guy Lawsuit Dismissed
The Illinois Case: D’Ambrosio v. Meta Platforms
On January 11, 2024, Nikko D’Ambrosio sued 27 women and one man from the Chicago AWDTSG chapter in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He also named Meta, Patreon, GoFundMe, the AWDTSG website, and group founder Paola Sanchez. The complaint alleged “provably false and defamatory” statements, including a post he said falsely implied he was connected to a mugshot from a sexual assault case. Seven counts covered defamation, emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and civil liability, with more than $75,000 in compensatory and punitive damages sought.6NBC News / Today. Man Sues Women Over Dating Posts in Facebook Group7Business Insider. Man Sues 27 Women Over Negative Dating Posts on Facebook
That first complaint was dismissed on January 25, 2024, for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. D’Ambrosio quickly refiled as a putative class action on behalf of Illinois men who claimed they had been “doxed, defamed, or had their intellectual property posted” in AWDTSG groups. The refiled case (no. 24-cv-00678) named Sanchez and software developer Blake Millbrand along with multiple unnamed women from the Chicago group, and asserted libel, slander, and doxing claims, alleging the defendants had “unjustly personally enriched themselves at the expense of donors.”8404 Media. Man Who Sued Are We Dating the Same Guy Groups Files Class Action Lawsuit
Dismissal at the District Court
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sunil R. Harjani dismissed the case. The court found that D’Ambrosio failed to allege any specific false statements, a basic requirement for defamation, and ruled that the comments were “subjective opinions” rather than defamation per se. Illinois Right of Publicity Act claims were dismissed because he did not allege that his photo had been used for a commercial purpose. The doxing claims also failed; the court held that discussing dating experiences in an invite-only forum did not constitute doxing, false-light invasion of privacy, or actionable harassment. Meta was shielded by Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and the motions to dismiss filed by Sanchez and Spill The Tea, Inc. were granted in their entirety.9Mashable. Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook Group Lawsuit Dismissed10Courthouse News Service. Are We Dating the Same Guy Group Not Guilty of Defaming Man
Seventh Circuit Affirmance and a Sanctions Order
D’Ambrosio appealed. On May 15, 2026, a three-judge panel of the Seventh Circuit (Chief Judge Brennan, Judge Hamilton, and Judge Scudder) affirmed the dismissal of all claims. On the Right of Publicity Act, the panel held that Meta’s targeted advertising and the defendants’ general fundraising did not amount to using D’Ambrosio’s identity for a commercial transaction. On doxing, the court found he had not alleged specific threats or any history of physical harm, and that dating anecdotes did not support an inference of reckless disregard for his safety. On defamation, the court applied Illinois’s innocent construction rule and concluded the posts were reasonably susceptible to a non-defamatory interpretation.11FindLaw. Ambrosio v. Meta Platforms Inc., No. 25-2231
The panel also ordered D’Ambrosio and his attorneys, Marc Trent and Aaron Walner of MarcTrent.AI, to show cause why they should not face sanctions. The court called the appeal frivolous and said the brief contained “numerous fictitious citations and quotations” that “bear the hallmarks of the misuse of generative artificial intelligence.” Judge Hamilton wrote that the brief misquoted statutes, misrepresented legal standards, and made broad doxing claims without supporting authority. Walner had also failed to sign the filing, neglecting the required attorney certification. The attorneys were given until June 16, 2026, to respond or request a hearing.11FindLaw. Ambrosio v. Meta Platforms Inc., No. 25-223112Ars Technica. Legal Fail: Don’t Use AI to Sue Facebook Users for Calling You a Bad Date
Why None of the Cases Have Won
The California and Illinois rulings share the same core logic. Defamation requires a false statement of fact, not an unflattering opinion. Judges in both jurisdictions characterized the posts as subjective accounts of dating experiences, not provably false factual assertions. Calling someone a bad date, or even “psycho,” is evaluative language courts treat as opinion.9Mashable. Are We Dating the Same Guy Facebook Group Lawsuit Dismissed
California gave defendants an extra tool. The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to kill lawsuits that chill speech on matters of public concern, and the LA court held that women’s safety in dating qualified. In Illinois, federal pleading rules required D’Ambrosio to identify specific false statements and specific damages, and he did neither. His doxing theory failed because posting someone’s first name and photo in a Facebook group, without evidence of intent to cause physical harm, did not meet the threshold under Illinois’ Civil Liability for Doxing Act.11FindLaw. Ambrosio v. Meta Platforms Inc., No. 25-22314Rulings.law. Murrey v. Gibbons, 23STCV14890
Claims against Meta were blocked by Section 230, which provides broad immunity to platforms for content created by their users. Courts have consistently held that Facebook is not the publisher of posts made in groups like AWDTSG, even if the platform profits from advertising displayed alongside those posts.13University of Illinois Journal of Law, Technology, & Policy. Are We Doxing the Same Guy? The Legal Implications of Online Speech and Privacy Protections
One point worth flagging for anyone considering a similar suit: the “private” label on these groups has not helped plaintiffs. Posts in groups with tens of thousands of members have been treated as public enough to trigger defamation analysis, and courts have ordered platforms to identify users involved.14The Week. Are We Dating the Same Guy? Facebook Groups That cuts in both directions, but it has not opened a path to winning a defamation claim.
Where Things Stand
As of mid-2026, no plaintiff has won a defamation claim, obtained a settlement, or received a damage award in any AWDTSG-related case. The D’Ambrosio appeal has been resolved on the merits, with the sanctions question against his attorneys still pending. The status of Murrey’s remaining cases against individual defendants in Los Angeles is less clear from available records, though the trajectory set by the Valdes ruling made further dismissals likely.