Judge dismisses defamation suit filed by LA bachelor against more than 50 women after he discovered they were discussing him in a Facebook group called ‘Are we dating the same guy?’

A judge has dismissed a defamation suit brought by an LA bachelor against more than 50 women after he discovered they were discussing him in a Facebook group called ‘Are we dating the same guy?’.

Dozens of women called Stewart Lucas Murray of Santa Monica a “bad date” before he took the step to sue after claims he was labeled a murderer and accused of having sexually transmitted diseases on the forum.

But a judge in downtown Los Angeles ruled in favor of defendant Vanessa Valdez.

The women claimed they had done nothing wrong by posting their personal opinions in a private online social media group.

The judge found no evidence of conspiracy by the women and granted an Anti-SLAPP motion — which protects those who speak out on matters of public concern from violent lawsuits to silence them.

“It just feels really good to be dismissed from all counts, it wasn’t just the two counts of defamation, but all 11 charges that were brought against me,” Valdez said during a news conference Monday.

“We all have various Anti-SLAPP hearings in the coming weeks, and obviously we hope that with Vanessa’s sentence, it kind of sets a precedent for the following hearings,” said another defendant, Olivia Berger.

The judge also reportedly found that based on the evidence presented, the court saw no possibility that Murray could prevail against the defendants on any claim he made.

It comes after the Yale-educated scholar last month tried to sue dozens of potential suitors after claiming he had been subjected to false and defamatory posts and comments about him in the group.

He planned to sue on a number of charges including defamation, gender discrimination, intentional infliction of emotional distress, libel and invasion of privacy – among others.

The lawsuit stemmed from the private Los-Angeles-specific social media group, which has over 52,500 members.

It is marked as a place where daters can highlight any warnings about potentially harmful and deceitful men.

Murray had alleged that the women posted a series of false statements about him, including claims that he had lied about being a lawyer, had tried to defraud them of money and had sexually transmitted diseases.

He also highlighted that the post made more serious allegations, including that he faced several domestic violence charges, as well as being a murder suspect and involved in a homicide case.

Murray has denied all allegations and claims he only remembers meeting one of the women ‘for less than 15 minutes’.

But in a post to GoFundMe last month, Murray claimed he had matched with a woman on a dating app before giving her his phone number and then quickly blocked her when he became suspicious of her photos.

“Instead of going separate ways, she posted about me in a couple of these Facebook groups, obsessively digging for information, bumping her own original post about me several times in a year, and later calling me a ‘viral’ subject, ” he said.

He went on to claim that he had never met the woman in real life and ‘the first time I ever saw her face was on TV when she attended a press conference about me’.

According to the bachelor, at least 238 Facebook accounts posted his photos in the group, tracked his location and made up stories about them meeting.

“Let me repeat: I have never met most of them in my life. I have barely spoken to any of them, if ever. I only remember meeting one of them and her for less than 15 minutes before I left,” Murray added.

‘Any minimal interaction with them was abruptly cut short by my swift rejection. When I saw them on TV to hold a press conference about me, it was the first time I saw most of their faces’.

The furious bachelor accused several women of ‘hateful’ and ‘relentless cyberbullying’ before his case collapsed.

He has since raised over $5,450 of his $60,000 goal through his personal fundraiser, which he claims will go towards ‘the enormous amount of legal fees, tort experts, deposition costs, research and time to handle an overwhelming amount of work against multiple defendants’.

One of the defendants, Vanessa Valdes, revealed that she had a relationship with Murray on Hinge.

She told KTLA reporters last month: ‘Right out of the gate (he) gave me his phone number and said, “Let’s hang out.”

‘I commented with a message saying “cool move” with a happy face and then a barrage of harassing messages followed. So I immediately blocked him and reported him.’

Vanessa claimed it wasn’t until years later that she commented on a post about her exchange with Murray.

The lawsuit claimed that Murray had consistently tried to join the group to defend himself, but was denied entry.

Are we dating the same guy? The Facebook page has a long description which reads: ‘This group is a place for women to protect, support and empower other women.

‘A place where the woman can speak freely, openly and honestly without fear of harassment or intimidation. There are four main uses of this page.

‘It can be used as a place for women to warn other women about liars, cheaters, abusers or anyone who exhibits any kind of toxic or dangerous behaviour.

‘It can be used to check if someone has sent warnings about someone you’re considering dating.

‘It can be used to inquire about someone you are dating or can potentially date to see if anyone has had any experiences with that person.

‘This is a safe place for women to ask for advice and relationship support, as well as post anything dating related that can help bring us together, keep us safe or help us help each other.’