Are We Dating the Same Guy Lawsuit: Where It Stands

What the Groups Are and Why Lawsuits Followed

Are We Dating the Same Guy, often abbreviated AWDTSG, is a network of over 200 private Facebook groups, organized by city, where women share screenshots of men dating profiles and ask other members whether anyone has information about that person. The first group launched in New York City in 2022, and the network has grown to more than 3.5 million members across the United States and beyond.

Because members sometimes post names, photos, and detailed accounts of alleged bad behavior, some men featured in posts have sued individual group members, moderators, and in some cases Meta as the platform owner, alleging defamation, invasion of privacy, doxxing, and related claims.

What Courts Have Ruled

The most closely watched case, brought by a Chicago man named Nikko D Ambrosio against nearly 30 women, was dismissed in May 2024 by a federal magistrate judge, who found that the challenged statements were either undisputed fact or protected opinion rather than actionable defamation. D Ambrosio then pursued a related complaint and an appeal, which a federal appeals panel also rejected in 2025, going so far as to warn his attorneys about possible sanctions for pursuing arguments the panel called frivolous as to some defendants.

A similar case in California was likewise dismissed, with the presiding judge again finding the statements did not meet the legal bar for defamation. Courts in these cases have consistently emphasized that statements grounded in personal experience, such as describing someone as having ghosted a date, are generally treated as opinion, while specific false factual claims, such as falsely stating someone was arrested for a crime, could be actionable if proven false. Courts have also reaffirmed that platforms like Meta are broadly shielded from liability for user posts under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.

Why This Matters Beyond These Specific Cases

These rulings do not mean posts in similar groups can never be defamatory. Courts have been clear that a false statement of fact, as opposed to a subjective account of a personal experience, could still support a claim in the right circumstances, and cases outside the United States, including one in Australia, have resulted in a defamation settlement and legal fees being paid by a group administrator.

For people posting in groups like this, the practical lesson from these cases is that describing a personal dating experience in subjective terms carries far less legal risk than repeating unverified factual claims, especially serious ones like criminal accusations, as though they were established fact.

How to Get Legal Help

These rulings turn heavily on the line between opinion and defamatory factual claims, so if you believe something posted about you crosses that line, an attorney experienced in defamation law can assess the specific statements, not just the general situation. Screenshotting the exact posts before they can be edited or deleted is an important early step.

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