A man is suing an Airbnb host, alleging they sent images of him with another woman to his wife, court documents show.
Shawn Mackey was staying in a Tennessee property run by Pamela Fohler, and has filed a lawsuit in Mississippi against her and Airbnb, alleging extortion, violation of privacy and emotional and economic damages.
Mackey claims that after his stay ended, Fohler emailed Mackey's wife a photo of him with a woman described as someone "another female (not his wife)" in a lawsuit that Mackey has filed in Mississippi.
The move apparently came after Mackey refused to pay the $960 in extra fees that the host demanded for allegedly breaking house rules and having extra guests.
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Mackey is alleging that the situation adds up to attempted extortion and that it has caused major damage to his marriage.
He also says this was an invasion of his privacy, since Fohler allegedly contacted his wife unprompted.
Screenshots of messages between the Fohler and Mackey are included as part of the suit and show a lengthy conversation negotiating the number of people who will be at the property (which had an 8-person limit) for his September 2022 stay.
When Mackey's guest count exceeded this number, the host attempted to evict him and claimed that they'd had noise and behavior complaints from neighbours, which Mackey now disputes.
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Mackey checked out and left a negative review - he had a partial refund request declined after feeling that his experience was substandard.
He claims that this kicked off a period of alleged harassment by the host, which included initiating a complaint with Airbnb that resulted in the fines Mackey later refused to pay.
Mackey's lawsuit is seeking unspecified and punitive damages, as well as an injunction “to prevent similar action taken against [other] customers of Airbnb".
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Mackey alleges that Airbnb took the host's side in all of this.
Meanwhile, Fohler denies ever sending the email to Mackey's wife, meanwhile, claiming to have no knowledge of it, and has filed to dismiss the lawsuit.
Airbnb has been contacted for comment.