Man ‘sent 1,000 Grindr men to ex boyfriend’s door,’ says stalking lawsuit
Matthew Herrick alleges that his ex-boyfriend harassed him by sending more than 1,000 men to his door from Grindr. (Larry Hamilton/Facebook)
A man tormented his ex-boyfriend by sending more than 1,000 men from Grindr to his door, according to a lawsuit filed in New York City.
Up to 16 men appeared daily at New Yorker Matthew Herrick’s house or workplace between October 2016 and March 2017, demanding drugs and sex, reported BuzzFeed News.
The aspiring actor had dated a man, known as J.C. in court documents, quoted by BuzzFeed, from late 2015 until autumn 2016.
After they broke up, J.C. started stalking Herrick and created fake profiles pretending to be Herrick on Grindr, according to court filings.
Man harasses his ex-boyfriend, says stalking lawsuit
According to BuzzFeed, the profiles falsely stated that Herrick is HIV-positive and that he was “Looking for a group of hung tops to come over and destroy my ass.”
Profile screen names included ‘Raw Pig Bottom’ and ‘Gang Bang Now!’
“It’s just like a constant Groundhog Day, but in the most horrible way you can imagine. It was like an episode of Black Mirror.”
—Matthew Herrick
The lawsuit alleges that J.C., posing as Herrick, got men from Grindr to visit the actor’s work or flat.
“It was a horror film,” Herrick told BuzzFeed News.
A phone displays the logo of gay hook-up app Grindr. (Getty)
“It’s just like a constant Groundhog Day, but in the most horrible way you can imagine. It was like an episode of Black Mirror.”
Herrick and his friends reported the harassment to police, but officers did not manage to stop the abuse.
Along with his lawyers and his friends, Herrick also submitted 100 complaints to Grindr, asking for J.C. to be blocked.
However, Grindr did not respond, so Herrick took the app to court.
In February 2017, a federal judge ruled that Grindr was not obliged to help Herrick under federal law.
Court ruling on Grindr could have “far-reaching” consequences for dating apps and liability over harassment
Unsatisfied with this response, Herrick is now awaiting a decision from the US Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.
According to BuzzFeed, the decision from this court could have “far-reaching” consequences for what dating apps and social media platforms are required to do to prevent the harassment of users.
The publication reported that the lawsuit primarily concerns a 1997 piece of legislation, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, and how much protection against liability this gives websites and apps for harassment by users on its networks.
PinkNews has contacted Grindr for comment.
In October 2017, J.C. was arrested and charged with stalking, criminal impersonation, making a false police report, and disobeying a court order, according to BuzzFeed News.
He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been held on a $500,000 bond.
