Zyngaa
"Mafia Wars": where Cheryl Gray and Wylie Iwan found love, sort of. a
By Athima Chansanchai
A woman scorned by a man who met and courted her through the "Mafia Wars" game is now suing him after their romance flamed out in public, on Facebook.a
The beginning and end of this story is on Facebook, where Michigan-based Cheryl Gray, 50, met Washington state-based Wylie Iwan, 35, playing "Mafia Wars" in September. Gray filed a civil suit in May for about $8,300 which she says is owed her by Iwan. a
Gray, an unemployed former paralegal, said she lavished the Applebee's employee (and his sons) with gifts, including a digital camera and tickets to the Seattle Mariners' opening game at home. She even reserved a hotel room and rental car for a trip she never took, after he told her he'd met someone at a bar in eastern Washington's Kennewick, where he lives. (He says she gave her blessing on his new relationship.)a
Detroit's XWYZ talked to Gray, who says she spent about $1,200 on Iwan, of which he's repaid $300. Iwan's Michigan-based attorney has filed a motion to dismiss. The two sides are scheduled to convene in Livonia's 16th District Court on Aug. 1 over that motion.a
The "breakup" — there seems to be a dispute that they were ever really a couple, though Gray said they chatted online for hours every day beginning in December — got really messy fast, with both allegedly posting nasty messages about each other publicly on their Facebook walls and amongst their mutual Facebook friends. a
While you can't sue for heartbreak, Gray did file a civil suit in Michigan district court seeking $8,368.88 for misrepresentation, defamation of character and intentional infliction of emotional distress.a
The Tri-City Herald's Paula Horton (via The Seattle Times) interviewed both plaintiff and defendant, who, in typical his-and-her perspectives, weave a sordid tale of like, then love, gone wrong. Gray said the hours of chatting led her to believe the two had a future together, while Iwan says he was clear in telling her they were friends, and that she should only visit him as a friend. "I told her I love her, too. I was meaning it as a friend." a
You see where things could get sticky, with the Mars/Venus dynamics going on here.a
Gray might be able to draw from the precedent in lawsuits filed over defamation on Facebook, such as the fake profiles that led an Illinois-based mother "and next best friend" and son to sue over the emotional distress caused by the racist and sexual statements. Or, the New York teen who sued Facebook and former classmates for $3 million for comments labeling her as engaged in illicit behavior, including drug use and bestiality.a
advertisement advertisement advertisement
In 2006, a Florida judge awarded $11.3 million in damages to a woman who was the target of derogatory messages after a education consultation over the defendant's sons went south.a
Soon, Gray will have her day in court to find out if all is fair in love and (Mafia) Wars.a
More stories:a
Booted from Facebook, woman sues Parents sue Facebook over photos of daughter's corpse Facebook-deprived man sues for $500K Wife betrayed on Facebook: 'Terrible beyond belief'
Check out Technolog on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Athima Chansanchai.a
0 komentar:
Post a Comment