Updates to our Terms of Use

We are updating our Terms of Use. Please carefully review the updated Terms before proceeding to our website.

Thursday, April 25, 2024 | Back issues
Courthouse News Service Courthouse News Service

‘Chubby Chasers’ Sue MTV Over Privacy Gaffe

MANHATTAN (CN) - A Manhattan couple says in court that they received death threats after MTV aired their contact information on "True Life: I'm a Chubby Chaser."

Click here to read Courthouse News' Entertainment Law Digest.

Tristan Watson and Nadine Crosby claim that the show's producer, Michael Cahill, assured them that he would be "sure to blur" their address and give them a "sneak peek" at the footage before airing the episode.

But Cahill allegedly never followed through on either of these promises.

"The name of plaintiffs' city, street address and apartment number were clearly and identifiably displayed in the episode, both on the MTV network and the network's website," according to the complaint in New York County Supreme Court.

The episode aired originally on Jan. 11, 2012, and has rebroadcast several times, most recently in July, they say.

"Since the premiere of the episode, plaintiffs have been repeatedly harassed at their home and school (Brooklyn College)," the complaint states. "Plaintiff Watson has been threatened on online forums referencing the episode and his address ('I know where you live'), and he has received a written death threat in a letter slipped under the front door to his apartment. He has had to leave his full time job due to safety concerns resulting from the episode."

They claim that the show "was neither true to life nor accurate" as promised, and that the network stiffed them for their appearance and airfare to Los Angeles.

Watson and Crosby seek damages from Cahill and the show's producers, MTV Network Enterprises and Day Old Teeth.

Their complaint alleges breach of contract, promissory estoppel, fraud and tort.

They are represented by Romeo Salta.

Categories / Uncategorized

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Loading...