After a failed extortion attempt triggered by a bad review, a vengeful Airbnb host took a security photo of a married guest “with another woman” and emailed the image to the man’s wife, according to a lawsuit. did.
Mississippi man Sean McKee is suing Airbnb and Superhost Pamela Forer for invasion of privacy, emotional distress and “damage” to his marriage.
McKee’s 22-page complaint, first filed in September and obtained by The Post on Wednesday, says Forer emailed his wife a door-camera screenshot taken after 3 a.m. However, he claims that McKee was shown in the footage with a woman who was not his wife.
The “superhost” allegedly launched a revenge campaign after refusing to pay $960 in fees and penalties for adding guests and breaking house rules.
The compromised images were allegedly sent from a fake email account set up by Fohler and impersonating Mackey.
“As a result, Plaintiff’s marriage suffered,” the lawsuit states.
The newspaper has contacted Airbnb for comment on the lawsuit.
In September 2022, McKee rented Fowler’s home in Memphis (advertised as “A Little Bit More Country”) and enjoyed a weekend get-together with old friends.
McKee booked a stay for a total of four people from September 9th to September 11th. According to an email attached to the complaint, McKee said in a conversation with the Airbnb host that she might invite more friends for a “very low-key” dinner, but not for the night. Stated.
“[T]”It looks like we’re going to have a great time,” Fowler said. “We are happy to welcome you all.”
The three-bedroom, two-bathroom home, which Fowler was renting out for $567 a night, sleeps up to 12 people.
According to the filing, Mr. Forrer had “no objections” to the additional guests and reassured Mr. McKee that he could add them to the guest list “at any time.”
Forer told McKee he had a long list of house rules, including no e-cigarette smoking, no excessive noise, no visitors from the local area, no parking in front of the garage door or on the right side of the driveway, and no glass, food or drinks. It was sent. , or urinating in the pool and no skinny dipping.
She reserves the right at her discretion to impose a $500 fine if the police are called to the home for any reason, and a $250 fine and cancellation of the stay if she brings additional guests. I warned that I would have reservations.
Fowler reminded McKee that security cameras outside the home “are in use at all times and are used to check the number of gusts, the noise, and any disturbances.”
“Rest assured, we will take good care of your home,” McKee told Fowler.
A few hours after checking into the house, Ms. McKee sent Mr. Fowler an updated guest list with nine names, but said there would be “probably a few more.”
“Only four or five people stay overnight,” he added.
A few minutes later, Forrer told McKee for the first time that the home could accommodate up to eight guests, and that each guest would be charged an additional fee, regardless of whether they stayed, the complaint said. .
She also reminded Mackey of her strict “no party” policy.
“I apologize for not having had the conversation.” [sic] The number of guests has tripled,” she wrote in a message attached to the complaint. “Each guest must be registered with Airbnb and accounted for according to Airbnb’s rules and insurance requirements. There is a cost to each guest even if they do not stay overnight. We would also like to remind you of our strict no partying rule. Thank you for your understanding.”
As the night wore on, Forrer texted McKee again, demanding that he either “add a guest now or leave immediately,” according to the complaint.
Organizers claimed they had received complaints about “nuisance, yelling and profanity in the parking lot.”
About 15 minutes later, Forer sent another message to the customer, demanding that they leave immediately.
“It is with great regret that you violated the non-partisan rules by yelling and yelling in the parking lot, causing a nuisance to your neighbors, and bringing in unauthorized guests,” Fowler wrote in the complaint. “Please leave now. I cannot accommodate you, I’m sorry.”
McKee’s court filing dismissed Forer’s claims of yelling and profanity as “baseless accusations” and stressed that “none of them are true.”
Out of a total of five guests, only one additional guest showed up instead of the additional guest originally listed, the complaint alleged.
“There was no party going on. No one was screaming or swearing in the parking lot. There was just an excuse for the hosts and Airbnb to collect more money,” the complaint says.
With nowhere else to go, Ms McKee called Ms Forrer’s number, but instead consulted her husband, Jamie, who assured her that she could “continue to stay without any further repercussions or interruptions”. It was given to me.
The next day, Ms. Forer emailed Ms. McKee to confirm that she would be checking out the next day and gave her additional instructions.
“Don’t forget to turn off the lights and lock your doors. We wish you safe travels!” her message read.
McKee left the next day as scheduled, believing that “the entire issue was resolved as a simple misunderstanding,” according to the complaint.
Shortly after, McKee left a negative review about his stay on the Airbnb website and requested a partial refund of $502.46, but was denied. His reviews are also said to have been deleted.
“After the review was posted, Mr. Forer began harassing him.” [Mackey] Regarding his review, he was clearly concerned about her Airbnb Superhost status,” the lawsuit alleges.
McKee was then contacted by an Airbnb representative who told him that the company was suspending his account pending an investigation into his claims and that his account could be terminated.
Mr. McKee, himself an Airbnb host, denied breaking any rules and asked the company to obtain video from the property to verify Mr. Forrer’s claims against him and his guests.
A few days later, McKee allegedly received a text message from Forer.
“Hello Sean, hope you’re doing well,” the message read. “I’m sorry it took me so long to put together the photos you requested to show our stay in our home. But I have faith and honesty was my driving force, so I hope you will and promised to post these for Airbnb. The photo at 3:16 a.m. is especially noteworthy. Should I forward the photos or videos? [Mackey’s wife] Teresa, or will you? ”
Attached to the message was a photo depicting [Mackey] According to court documents, he was with another woman (not his wife) who was photographed on one of the cameras in Forrer’s Airbnb home. ”
Forer also allegedly threatened to release the video to YouTube “immediately” because the file was too large to send via text.
Two days later, McKee received a bill from Airbnb for $960. The amount included a $160 fine for four additional guests, a $500 fine for two violations of company rules, and a $300 fine related to his “moderate” negative review.
Mr. McKee refused to pay and led what Mr. Forrer’s lawsuit calls an “attempted extortion.” Forer allegedly set up a fake email account with the sexually suggestive handle “Shawn69@outlook.com” and used it to send emails with the following content: He sends a message to Mackey’s wife at work with the subject line, “Nice Bag.”
The body of the email included a screenshot of the guest and another woman.
“I love your bag, where did you get it?” the accompanying message read.
McKee contacted Airbnb about Fowler’s alleged stunt and asked for help.
“Instead of reacting like any decent person at a decent company would to such illegal, abhorrent, and evil conduct, Airbnb sided with co-defendant Mr. Fowler, a superhost! ” The litigation intensified.
In a response filed in December, Fowler denied sending the email with the photo or having any contact with Mackey’s wife. The Daily Beast reported.
McKee’s lawsuit seeks unspecified actual and punitive damages and an “injunction to prevent similar actions from being taken.” [other] I am an Airbnb customer. ”
Airbnb filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case, but Fowler filed a motion to dismiss. McKee has until February 21 to respond to both.
