Don’t Date Him Girl! The Lawsuit…
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A short while back I posted an article referencing the pending lawsuit against a web site called “Don’t Date Him Girl!”.
Many consider the outcome of the lawsuit filed by Pittsburgh lawyer, Todd Hollis against Don’t Date Him Girl! owner, Tasha Joseph and the women who posted comments about him, a victory.
Here is what happened…
(From the Associated Press and found on The Burgh Blog)
Judge R. Stanton Wettick Jr. ruled he has no jurisdiction over part of the lawsuit Todd Hollis filed last June against DontDateHimGirl.com and its creator, Tasha C. Cunningham, 34, of Miami.
Hollis, of Pittsburgh, claimed Cunningham’s site is liable because it solicits negative comments but does not screen them for truthfulness. Hollis also is also suing those who posted comments that questioned his sexuality and said he tried to dodge paying child support.
The judge let stand the attorney’s defamation claims against seven women who posted messages criticizing him on the site.
Cunningham and her attorneys say a 1996 federal law shields Web sites from such lawsuits.
Wettick did not address that issue. He simply ruled that Pennsylvania’s court system has no jurisdiction over a Florida Web site, even though Pennsylvanians post messages on it. The ruling, issued Thursday, does not address Hollis’ still-pending claims against women who posted the messages.
Hollis said he did not learn of the judge’s decision until The Associated Press called him for comment Tuesday. Hollis has not decided whether to sue the Web site again in another venue.
The way I see it…
This really cannot be considered a “victory” because the battle was never fought! The judge simply did not “address” the issue because it was filed in the wrong venue. Since DDHG resides in Florida, the lawsuit should have been filed in Florida and not in Pennsylvania.
Seems to me that if Mr. Hollis is as self assured, arrogant and angry as he appeared on the Dr. Phil Show, he will most certainly file a new lawsuit against DDHG in the Sunshine State!
My thoughts on this whole thing…
I stand by my original opinion of Don’t Date Him Girl. It is a platform for the rantings and ravings of women at their worst. These women are hurting, angry and looking for revenge – with a capital “R”!
As one woman stated on Dr. Phil, she posted while she was angry. Had a “cooler head prevailed”, she admitted she may not have posted at all, or at the very least, her post might not have been so “intense”.
While I do believe in “freedom of speech” as Tasha is clearly defending, I also believe in the “right to privacy” and fair play. Obviously, one conflicts with the other in this case. I don’t believe that anyone should be allowed to make allegations, true or false, publicly in anonymity. The accused has the right to know his accusor and be offered an equal path of recourse.
I think that both Todd Hollis and Tasha Joseph (Cunningham) have valid points to be argued.
Tasha, as I stated in my last article, has covered her butt very well legally. The DDHG “terms of use” squarely place the liability for slander on the shoulders of those posting to her site. I don’t think for one second that Todd Hollis, even if he chooses to file his suit again in Florida, has a “snowball’s chance in hell” of winning. Ms. Joseph is protected legally and cannot be held responsible for the rantings of angry women.
On behalf of Todd Hollis, I do believe that he has the right to privacy and an equal avenue of recourse against his accusers. Defamation of character can have devestating and widespread effects on a person and their family. Occassionally, good and undeserving people are intentionally hurt by false allegations fueled by hurt and anger.
Should his request to remove his profile have been granted? I think so. We have the legal right to opt out of other forms of harrassment in life. That’s what restraining orders are for and to a lesser degree, the National Do Not Call Registry… 
The point is, as I have always believed, nothing in life is absolute! There are two sides to every story. Everything is not either black or white. There are always shades of grey that keep us uncertain and guessing!
This debate could continue until “hell froze over” with no resolution.
Are values, ethics and human rights being compromised?
Yup…everyday, all over the world. We are humans…it’s what we do!
If you want to read more on this topic, you can hear from both Todd Hollis and Tasha Joseph on MNspeak.com. You can also check out the Online Dating Industry Journel.
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Opinions
feroze said:
a person married my sister 25 years back in 1982 in Pakistan. without having sexual relations upto six years. he slipped to usa and got married there. two chile borne to him and later on he divorced that woman. he neither divorced my sister nor called her in usa as his wife. he kept on making different statements. the prime time of life of my sister has gone waste. now she wants to file a legal suit against her cheater husband who lives in NY. kindly guide/help us.
GetOverIt said:
You’re going to have to get over your “rights for privacy” because those so-called rights, disappeared with the invention of the Internet, digital recording devices, and camera phones. What rights do you think you’re really entitled to? What rights did you really think you had to begin with? I can tell you, not many, the Internet has just made accessibility to information easier and more convenient and the government has been tapping phone calls for decades.
The Internet is a forum for all and in the U.S. it is protected by freedom of speech, plain and simple. If someone logs onto a site and slanders another individual, the site owners are not liable; the company hosting the site is not liable. Hell he’d have just as much luck trying to sue the National Science Foundation and military, creators of the Internet, for allowing such a platform to exist for someone to expose whatever unbecoming behavior it was that led to an emotional outburst of the DDHG site. Furthermore, since the Internet is all about anonymity proving who said what, when, where, and why is a virtual impossibility. No one is going to invest the time to track down the IP address of the original poster and connect ISPs to find a subscriber over something so petty.
I hope this guy files in FL and doesn’t see a dime, because he does not deserve any monetary compensation for his supposed “pain and suffering”. I hope that DDHG sues him for wasting their time and I hope this guy has to pay whatever legal costs DDHG endures from some frivolousness.
I’m not advocating for or against DDHG, but I’ve seen the site and if someone posts about you, you do have a chance to rebuttal. And there is a site in progress called Don’t Date Her Man, I guess to even the score.
Jesika said:
I posted something on their website. My ex found out and turned me in for abuse. They froze my account and will not delete the poosting after i emailed 10 times for them to get rid of it. Yes I wrote the posting when i was hurt, angry, sad, I was a mess and i wanted him to hurt as much as I was. We are back together and this website is the only thing that is standing in our way of moving forward. Any suggestions on how to get this posting removed?????? I dont really have the money for an attorney but itf it comes down to it i wll have to do it but is asking them to remove a posting to much? They froze my account and left the posting! Crazy!!!
admin said:
Jesika, I really don’t know what to tell you. I have heard of other people trying to have things removed from that site with no luck. That is why I encourage people to think before they post. It seems to me though, that if you and your partner are back together, this post should not keep you from moving forward in your relationship. You both know it is there. Chalk it up to a case of bad judgment on your part and leave it in the past. Wasting money on a lawyer for something that may not even be successful is such a waste. If your partner is mature, he should be able to leave this behind…everybody makes mistakes!
Lydia Bobo said:
It’s obvious the person who wrote the top article is a guy. Guys seem to think that they can get away with being dishonest, manipulative jerks to women. Why is that-what’s the deal with you people? I tend to think that that they assume that they’re entitled to act like total bastards to women. Well you all are not! It seems that the American “penal” system is partially in favor of treating women like shit especially in other uch more extreme cases such as allowng rapists and child molestors to rome free and slither back under the rock from whence they came until they can stalk they’re next prey. WELL YOU’RE NOT!! Certain women will not put up with this behavior-so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Lydia Bobo said:
Oh spare me sweety. What ever happened to free speech. Your such a typical female being overly apologetic and being a psychological doormat. Get a back bone and stand up for yourself. It seems like these pigscan bithch and whine and the legal systm will just kiss their ass. Maybe if typical females like you will stop sending mixed signals the law and other sources will stop biting you in the ass.
Will said:
Sites like DontdatehimGirl and LiarsCheatsandBastards are a welcome fact in our debauched society. If you fear being posted then lead a clean life and respect your partner. Simple isn’t it! Long live free speech.
JOHN DOE said:
SHE BROUGHT HER HUSBAND HOME GONORRHEA! SLEPT WITH ALMOST EVERY BLACK MAN IN OCEANVIEW NOROFLK VIRGINIA. (BECAUSE SHE IS ASHAMED OF BEING WHITE SHE SAID) (LMFAO WHAT A SAD EXCUSE) COCAINE ADDICT. DOES COCAINE IN FRONT OF HER SON!! SELLS PUSSY TO GET COCAINE BUT NOT TO PAY HER BILLS! GOT HER LIGHTS SHUT OFF WHEN SHE COULDN’T PAY HER BILLS THEN GOT KICKED OUT OF HER HOUSE!! HAD TO START DATING A MAN WITH NO TEETH WHOM SHE HATES AN MAKES SURE TO TELL EVERYONE BEHIND HIS BACK SHE HATES HIM!! THE ONLY REASON SHE CAN KEEP A MAN IS BECAUSE SHE SIGNS HER CHECKS OVER TO THEM!! OTHER THAN THAT HER PUSSY STINKS AN SHE HAS NO CLASS!! SHE WAS SITTING IN MY CAR AN YOU COULD SMELL HER PUSSY FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT!! NOT TO MENTION SHE FUCKS BROTHERS, COUSINS, HUSBANDS, FATHERS!! NO SHAME IN HER GAME! AND SHE WOULD HAVE A HOUSE FULL OF MEN AND GET BUTT NAKED AND WALK AROUND LIEK THAT IN FRONT OF THEM ALL EVEN WITH HER SON AT HOME!!! THEY ALL SAID HER PUSSY STINKS TOO!! AND CALL HER A HOE IN FRONT OF HER FACE, BEAT ON HER, AND PLAY HER FOR HER MONEY!! SHE GOT HER OWN GRANDMOTHER KICKED OUT OF HER HOUSE!! AND AFTER SHE GETS STD’S SHE WILL CRY RAPE SO SHE DOESN’T LOOK LIEK THE SLUT SHE IS!! DON’T DATE HER!!! IF YOU SLEEP WITH HER I WOULD SUGGEST DOUBLING UP ON CONDOMS!!! REMEMBER: LOOSE PUSSY IS NOT GOOD PUSSY… STINKING PUSSY IS INFECTED PUSSY!!!
JOHN DOE said:
HER NAME IS NICOLE SABATO OF OCEANVIEW NORFOLK VIRGINIA
wayne smeal said:
i was posted, by a girlfriend and hold a cetificate for corrections, for those who think lightly of the posting. i was posted as a rapist, this is not slander but is a criminal allegation. wait till someone posts you for revenge. this site promotes false allegations and doe’s not do anything to but to hurt by a few who don’t know when a relationship has ended, i hope they do a class action suit in florida on her.
Lee said:
I think it is very wrong to put sexual things about people on the web, if you got a disease report it to the center for disease control in your city. They will do the dirty work of contacting the person, and their sexual partners. It is slanderous to accuse people of some of the stuff I have read, and I am apauled at any person who would not give the person a chance. The post could be bogus! However to put things on like get tested, as a woman I would never want to date the man who said that! Take some clues here, and be aware that you don’t know the person who posted, or their motive. I will personally sue the person who posts anything that is not true, and I suggest anyone who has been named and what was posted is wrong, file criminal charges. That will cool down the bad stuff. A couple winning cases, and people will see it is not worth what they will lose in the long run.
Lee said:
The nasty things that are posted have not been proven! Good women and men get bashed because they are good. They may not want to sleep with someone right away, so to make them look bad, their suitors post so they don’t get any dates, and figure eventually the person will give in. WOW I am hoping you didn’t think this through before you posted.
angie said:
I firmly believe that no one is above their actions. In a relationship, neither side is perfect. They may have their reasons for disliking each other, but both are responsible for their own actions. If a man cheats on his wife, he should not get mad that she makes it known. If he was ashamed or embarassed by others viewing him as a liar and a cheater, he should have thought of that first and not done it. Plain and Simple. And if the woman decides to write about it all over the internet, that is her right. It may make her seem immature and unproffesional if a potential employer views it. And if the information is untrue, than that can reflect her character as not honest and without integrity. If she is ashamed or embarassed by that, then she shouldn’t have done it in the first place. I do not think that people who have been wrong should keep quiet out of fear of privacy issues. It is because these victims don’t talk that the wrongdoers continue to hurt people without consequence.
kelly said:
i agree with angie, people who lie and cheat deserve to suffer the consequences. as a firm believer in karma i dont believe that it is necessarily up to the victim to seek revenge however, once you have been hurt feelings and emotions do take over.it
mary said:
Jesika, you are not alone. Many complaints about the website are just like yours. While the site boasts about the user having control over their posts, they don’t. If you beg for help, they will anonymously post your personal email on the web. How childish, eh? Quite disturbing behavior from a site that bases it’s pure reputation on helping people. CHOKE. This site is in it for the money and what’s better than letting people post their juicy anger?
If they truly want to become an honorable and reliable site in helping people all over the world, they must show the actions to back up the sincerity. That’s not gonna happen since greed is a typical motivation.
If you want to make a change, don’t support the advertisers and write to the government in protest.
Gabriel said:
Thanks for a useful post. Your advice is noteworthy. Other sites advice the opposite – wooing your partner back, etc. Been there, done that. Time to heed a different approach.
jen said:
I don’t think it’s right to make false statements about people. I think it can really fuck their life up, people will hold it against you. But I do think it’s funny that men now have thier shit put out there. Men seem to think it’s ok to toy with womens emotions and now that woman have the chance to expose them they wanna cry and wine how it’s not fair..Was it fair to stick your dick in another woman? I THINK IT’S FUNNY!
Tisha said:
I believe in karma & if you play with someone’s emotion IT WILL KICK U IN THE ASS. Be honest & keep it simple & easy.
Tod Meuir said:
Personally I can assure you as a male that is in fact mentioned on this lame site along with all the slander,and other bullshit that it is a pure and simple pleasure to the core of my being to be mentioned on this skank site because I now get more women wanting me than I can imagine lol… One thing you losers to womendom on here that so gleefully forget is that when you make it a point to talk all this trash about some guy you only make other women (true women) wonder if you are only talking trash because he is hot as hell and you do not want another woman(a better hotter woman) to have him… : ) Lmao I brag to everyone that I am on this lame ass site and my female friends think its the most hilarious thing that you fruit bats go out of way to act so desperate!
Tod Meuir said:
If you stupid twits would stop dropping your panties for every guy in the bar that buys you a Corona and gives you the bar fly mating call(Sound of zipper going down) then you would not be on this lame site crying that you got dumped! hahahaha!
Anonymous said:
I agree with Todd: Any so called woman that is so classless,and loose that they would even pour their dirty laundry out on the web for world to see deserves to get used and tossed away for a better woman. Any real woman would be assured within herself that to lose a man means nothing more than having to find a new one and sure would not be on here crying and bitching about it… This just makes you look desperate and skanky lol.
Mo'Gin said:
Women have been objectified by men for years! Now through advanced technology and the internet, men can post naked pictures of women any time at any event. The male internet viewers simply marvel at these women’s bodies. They do not hesitate to think for a second that these women were expolited by a vengeful ex-boyfriend or a spineless scum from the street. When men begin standing up for womens’ rights, then I will say ‘Let there be equal opportunity for the removal of DDHG! In the meantime, Long LIve the Greatest website to women!!!!!FREEDOM OF SPEECH….FREE AT LAST!
Mo'Gin said:
…Oh and this message is for Todd Meuir, trying to explain YOUR side of the story on THIS site is PATHETIC! Which is why these women who posted the comments about you, found you PATHETIC!
Antti Jokela said:
I think Tasha the creator of this “dont date him girl” website represents everything that is evil in this world. It’s unexceptionable that this kind of insulting is permitted in USA in 21th CENTURY!!!
Girlndamachine said:
It’s as important as an employment refference or credit check. These women are letting these men in thier homes and near children. Most sexual predators commit sexuals crimes 100 times before being convicted. Many of these men are married and this site assist in exposing that. Most women knowingly do not want to date a married man.
tod said:
Lol it is so endlessly hilarious that you freaks that bash men get on here with belief in any way that you truly affect anyone! You losers to womendom are eaily discerned as but dumped,unwanted,skanky bar flies,etc that are mad that you lost some man you wanted and he did not want you other than for a drunken bit of fun lol…. Its too funny that you freaks will tell every woman on planet how terrible,etc I am and they only keep running to me : )
prettyboy said:
lol keep your legs closed you bunch of ho’s, and you would not be on this site begging for attention lol
prettyboy said:
I agree with Tod too!
prettyboy said:
Lol they should rename this lame ass site: Men dont date these ho’s.com