An Airbnb host is being sued after allegedly blackmailing a guest and sending a photo to his wife that showed him with another woman.
A man’s weekend get-together with old friends has ended in a lawsuit following the vengeful actions of the Airbnb “superhost” for whom he was a guest.
Shawn Mackey filed a 22-page complaint against Airbnb and in particular, host Pamela Fohler, after photos of him with another woman were sent to his wife.
The extortion attempt was seemingly the result of a bad review Mackay left after he was nearly kicked out from the Airbnb on allegations of ‘disruptive’ behavior.
The complaint reveals Mackay rented the Fohler’s house back in September 2022 for four guests with the possibility of additional friends coming by for a “very lowkey” dinner. While Fohler initially told Mackay she would be “delighted” to host the group and “voiced no objection” to the additional guests, things quickly turned sour once Mackay had checked in and sent through a list of all expected attendees.
Fohler revealed each additional guest would incur an additional cost, no matter if they were spending the night. She went on to allege that neighbors had made noise complaints about the group, before ultimately asking them to leave.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
With nowhere to go, Mackay called and spoke to Fohler’s husband, arranging for the group to be allowed to complete their stay. Mackay later left a negative review once the weekend had concluded and requested a partial refund of $502.46.
However, Airbnb denied his request and suspended his account pending an investigation. Fohler also allegedly began to ‘harass’ Mackay about his review and after gathering requested security footage, resorted to blackmail.
“Sorry it took so long to get the photos you requested together to show your stay at our home. But I had faith, was driven by integrity, so I committed to get these posted for you and Airbnb,” Fohler wrote according to the complaint. “Photo at 3:16 AM is especially notable. Should I forward the photos and videos to [Mackey’s wife] Teresa, or will you?”
The image from the security camera showed Mackay with another woman, which was ultimately sent to Mackay’s wife after he refused to pay a requested $960 bill from Airbnb. While Fohler has denied all claims, Mackay is pushing forward with the lawsuit and is seeking unspecified actual and punitive damages.
The complaint claims Mackay “has suffered economic damages and damages to his marriage, and emotional damages as a result to the Defendants’ invasion of his privacy rights.” Airbnb has filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case, while Fohler has filed a motion to dismiss.
