CA man sues women after they shared failed experiences dating him on Facebook group

LOS ANGELES -- In a Facebook group, dozens of women shared their failed experience dating the same guy. He claimed it was defamation and took them to court, but some of the lawsuits were dismissed.

Vanessa Valdes walked out of court Monday after a victory. She and several other women have been dealing with defamation lawsuits.

"Looking back, yeah it was very challenging but we succeeded so I feel really good about it," said Valdes.

They were sued by Stewart Lucas Murray after they posted negative comments about him in a Facebook group called "Are We Dating The Same Guy?"

Valdes says she never actually met him in person. She had an online interaction with him before she joined the Facebook group.

The women felt Murray's actions after that were an attempt to silence them through legal proceedings.

On Monday, a judge granted what is known as an anti-SLAPP motion.

"An anti-SLAPP provides defendants a way to quickly dismiss meritless lawsuits known as SLAPPs, strategic lawsuits against public participation, filed against them for exercising speech," said Moses Castillo, a spokesperson for the defendants.

"As I move forward from this experience, I remain committed to standing up against unjust, legal actions, and defending the rights of individuals to speak freely without fear of retribution," Valdes added.

Olivia Burger is another defendant. She says she went on a date with Murray and posted her experience.

The lawsuit could include dozens of people.

"As much as we are affected by this, there's more people that could possibly be pulled into this, so it's great news, the ruling, and we're excited to be done with this," said Burger.

When reached out to for comment, Murray responded with a statement, which says in part: "The ruling was based only on portions of Valdes' statements about me and I will provide updates on this subject. However, this is a situation that is bigger than mere libel. We face a threat to privacy and I am prepared for the long fight ahead."

There are a number of anti-SLAPP motions scheduled to be heard by the judge starting in May. So this is expected to go on for months.