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Tag: selfie stalker

  • Nancy Grace Sued for Repeatedly Calling Innocent Man a “Selfie Stalker”

    Back in February, Benajmin Seibert found himself in a bit of a mess. Police were looking for him in connection with a break-in in Denver, Colorado. A woman in Denver had just put her kids to bed and went downstairs to look at her cell phone. On the phone, she found a picture of a man she did not know.

    It appeared that someone had broken into her home while she was upstairs, taken a picture of himself on her phone, and left it for her to find. She called police, who started hunting for the man. A Crime Stoppers alert was issued, and the man’s picture was posted on television.

    National talk show host Nancy Grace started talking about this incident on her show, referring to the man as the “Selfie Stalker,” and saying that his behavior was a “textbook serial killer’s calling card.”

    The problem was, the picture on the woman’s phone was Benjamin Seibert. And Benjamin Seibert was nowhere near Denver.

    Police investigated and discovered that the picture on her phone was actually from Seibert’s Facebook account. Police determined that Seibert’s story was true — he was in California when the whole “break-in” took place. So they declared publicly that he was not suspected of anything. The picture had somehow accidentally made its way to the woman’s phone — possibly an accidental screenshot while perusing pages.

    But Nancy Grace did not let up. She continued to refer to Seibert as the “Selfie Stalker” on Facebook and Twitter. Now Seibert is suing Nancy Grace, charging defamation.

    “It’s still very hard to deal with that as your reputation with millions of people,” said Seibert.

    Seibert’s attorney said they asked Nancy Grace repeatedly to issue a retraction, post a correction.

    “It’s very clear that despite a number of attempts to have this cease, it did not. Ms. Grace continued. It’s all described in the pages of the complaint and we had no alternative but to send a message taken more seriously,” said John Pineau, Seibert’s attorney. “He’s very much hoping that those responsible are held accountable. He would like to correct the record he’s not a serial killer.”

    Seibert is suing Nancy Grace and Turner Broadcasting.

  • Nancy Grace Being Sued For Defamation By Man She Labeled The ‘Selfie Stalker’

    Nancy Grace has been slapped with a defamation lawsuit.

    According to KDVR, Benjamin Seibert filed the lawsuit against the talk show host in a Denver court on Monday, stating that she had continued to implicate him in the crime even after he had been cleared of any wrongdoing. She also aired his photograph for the entire nation to see, earning him the nickname “selfie stalker.”

    The incident Grace was referring to on her show occurred in Denver, Colorado in February 2014. A woman put her children to bed and then proceeded to check her cell phone, where she found a picture of Seibert. She assumed that the man had broken into her house and taken the photo and called the police.

    Unknowingly to the woman, Seibert’s photo had actually been added to her phone through her Facebook app, and Seibert was working in California at the time of the alleged incident.

    One of Seibert’s friends contacted him after his photo was shown on the media, and Seibert immediately called the police and told them where he was located and they cleared his name from being associated with the home invasion.

    However, despite being exonerated, Nancy and the organization Crime Stoppers continued to associate Seibert with the crime and circulate his photograph, even labeling him a serial killer. Seibert has called the incident humiliating and said that Grace and Crime Stoppers have ruined his name.

    “It hasn’t been easy for him as a result of this,” Seibert’s attorney John Pineau said during a recent interview.

    Seibert and Pineau are hoping that other people will come forward stating that Grace has wrongly implicated them of a crime. “We are interested based on the history of the research we’ve uncovered – we’re pretty confident there are other victims – and so we’re asking for other victims to come forward,” Pinea said.

  • Nancy Grace Sued for Labeling ‘Selfie Stalker’

    Nancy Grace is being sued for defamation by a man she labeled the ‘Selfie Stalker.‘ She allegedly falsely accused Benjamin Seibert of breaking into a woman’s Denver home and taking a photo of himself. It was on TV that Grace made these claims, also calling the alleged photo a “textbook serial killer’s calling card.” Grace’s fans hopped on board the blame wagon at that time and perpetuated her claims, which soon went viral.

    “It hasn’t been easy for him as a result of this,” Seibert’s attorney, John Pineau, said during an interview with the Associated Press.

    It was last February when Benjamin Seibert first heard about the alleged crime. Police learned that the photo on the woman’s phone was actually a photograph of the man’s Facebook picture. Once police exonerated Seibert publicly, Nancy Grace allegedly continued referring to Seibert as the ‘Selfie Stalker.’

    Despite being cleared by police, Grace continued with her television show on February 10, posting on Twitter and Facebook, branding him a serial killer.

    In addition to Nancy Grace, Seibert’s lawsuit names Crime Stoppers. The suit alleges they never withdrew Seibert’s photo from their pages even after police confirmed he wasn’t a criminal.

    Benjamin Seibert is looking for additional people who believe they have also been wronged by Nancy Grace. He is urging them to join in his lawsuit against the HLN TV host.

    Nancy Grace has a cult following. There are some who believe her word is the end-all with regard to criminal activity. It’s easy to see how she might have damaged Benjamin Seibert’s reputation by continuing to call him the ‘Selfie Stalker’ even after police cleared his name. Do you think Seibert can win this lawsuit?