A man is suing his Airbnb “superhost” for “damages to his marriage” after she allegedly attempted to extort her guest by sending his wife pictures of him and another woman.
FOX NEWS
After an Airbnb guest wrote a less-than-glowing review of his stay at a Tennessee rental, the “superhost” lashed out and attempted to extort him by emailing his wife a photo of him with another woman.
In the lawsuit, Shawn Mackey is suing Airbnb and “superhost” Pamela Fohler.
Mackey accused Fohler and Airbnb of invading his privacy, inflicting on him emotional distress and causing “damage” to his marriage.
“The plaintiff’s marriage has suffered as a result,” it said, adding that the incident caused Mackey “extreme emotional distress,” “public humiliation,” and “mental anguish.”
According to the lawsuit, Mackey booked a two-night stay at Fohler’s “Little Bit More Country” Airbnb in Memphis, Tennessee in July 2022 for a September stay.
During the arrangement of his stay, Mackey told Fohler that he would be in town to visit a friend and that he “may invite them over for dinner,” emails included in court filings show.
“Very low key,” Mackey told Fohler. “Please let me know if there are any concerns.”
“That sounds like a lovely time,” Fohler replied. “I would be delighted to host you all.”
The home, which Mackey was renting for $567 a night, could accommodate up to 12 guests, the lawsuit said.
In the lawsuit, Mackey noted that he thought it was odd that Fohler wanted a “full list” of guests at the home, even if they weren’t going to stay overnight.
She also had a list of rules including: no smoking or vaping, no excessive noise, no guests from the local area, no parking in front of the garage doors or on the right side of the driveway, no glass, food, drinks, or urinating in the pool, and no skinnydipping.
The “superhost” also warned that there would be a $500 fine, “at our sole discretion,” if police were called to the property “for any reason,” and a $250 fine, plus cancelation of the stay, for arriving with additional guests.
“Hello Shawn, we will be able to accommodate a max of 8 guests,” screenshots from the lawsuit alleged. “This is due to the city restrictions and capacity at our home. I apologize we had not discuss [sic] the guest count tripling. Each guest does have to be put on Airbnb and accounted for per Airbnb rules and insurance requirements. There is a cost to each guest even if they do not spend the night. I should also remind you about the strict no parties rule. Thank you for understanding.”
About 45 minutes later, Fohler messaged Mackey again.
“Hello Shawn, I am asking you to either add the extra guests now or have them leave immediately,” she wrote, according to the suit. “We have also gotten complaints of disturbances, yelling and profanity in the parking area. Our home is in a quiet neighborhood, and we need to maintain that.”
