NY Attorney Sues Exs Over Liarscheatersrus.com Posts
Manhattan attorney Matthew Couloute Jr. has filed a federal lawsuit against two ex-lovers who have taken to the internet, posting nasty messages about his allegedly cheating ways on a website known as liarscheatersrus.com.
Alleging tortious interference with prospective business relations, Couloute claims that the messages left by Stacey Blitsch (who is also the mother of his child) and Amanda Ryncarz are destroying his legal career, costing him prospective clients left and right.
The posts are the first Google search results for his name.
Given the facts above, it's going to be difficult for Matthew Couloute to prove tortious interference, as New York law only mildly protects prospective business relations, as they are highly amorphous.
To prove such a claim, there has to be some pre-existing relationship and the defendant has to intentionally, knowingly, or by wrongful means, prevent the parties from entering into a contract.
Though someone searching for his name may at some point want to initiate business relations, there's no concrete proof that Couloute had interacted with these potential clients prior to their seeing the posts.
And though the posts on liarscheatersrus.com allege that he "Cheated on ALL of ex-girlfriends. Lied and cheated his entire way through his 40 years of life," if true, these statements are not fraudulent misrepresentations or defamation.
They were also meant to dissuade other women from dating Couloute--not from hiring him for his legal services.
However, even though Matthew Couloute may not prevail on this claim, keep in mind that, with slightly different facts, a posting on liarschetersrus.com (or any other such site) could form the basis of a successful and costly lawsuit.
Related Resources:
- Lawyer suing ex-lovers over online comments (Nine MSN)
- Tortious Interference (FindLaw)
- Chris Bosh Sued by Ex Over 'Basketball Wives' TV Deal (FindLaw's Tarnished Twenty)
