Date: September 9th, 2023 1:30 PM
Author: cerise unhinged indian lodge mother
A former Greenberg Traurig patent litigator sued a TikTok influencer whose videos about the lawyer’s divorce allegedly cost him his job and led to financial ruin.
Allan Kassenoff accused Robert Harvery of defamation, cyberstalking and intentional infliction of emotional distress, according to the lawsuit filed Sept. 5 in Florida’s Northern District. The complaint seeks more than $150 million in damages.
Harvey on May 31 began posting videos about Kassenoff and his ex-wife Catherine, including the divorce and custody battle they had over their three children, according to the lawsuit. The videos included purported clips of Allan Kassenoff verbally abusing his wife.
Kassenoff alleged that Harvey “acted with a reckless disregard for the truth” in spreading misleading videos that cast him as an abusive spouse and father who took advantage of divorce proceedings.
Harvey has a presence on social media outlets including YouTube and TikTok, where he has more than 3 million followers. His YouTube channel bio says he “shares the stories of women suffering abusive relationships from around the world.”
Harvey did not immediately return a request for comment on Kassenoff’s allegations. Greenberg Traurig said in a statement that Kassenoff, a former New York-based partner, resigned June 11. “This is an unfortunate situation for the family but we have no additional comment with respect to the claims,” the firm said.
Kassenoff Suit
Allan Kassenoff filed the lawsuit on behalf of himself and his three children, who are not identified. Another plaintiff, Constantine Gus Dimopoulos, is an attorney for Kassenoff who has also accused Harvey of defamation and harassment.
The lawsuit says Allan married Catherine in 2006 and that they had two biological and one adopted child together. He claimed he filed for divorce in 2019 after a history of abusive conduct from Catherine towards him and their adopted child.
A judge in 2020 granted Kassenoff temporary sole custody of the children, he said. The complaint also noted that in May, a court temporarily suspended visits between Catherine and her children after a forensic evaluation concluded she posed a risk to them.
Catherine Kassenoff alleged abuse by her ex-husband in a May 27 Facebook in which she said she was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer and had decided to go through with a medically assisted suicide in Switzerland.
The post was full of lies, including the claim that she had “life-ending cancer,” Kassenoff alleged.
He claims that Catherine Kassenoff contacted Harvey and that they together “concocted” the lie that she had terminal cancer. Harvey also led efforts to “bombard” Greenberg Traurig and Samsung Electronics Co., one of the firm’s biggest clients, with calls and emails that led to his ouster, he alleges.
Greenberg Traurig said in a June 11 Facebook post announcing Kassenoff’s resignation that it was “creating a dedicated trust fund” for the three children funded by lawyers and staff.
The case is Allan Kassenoff et al v Robert Harvey, N.D.Fla., No. 3:32-cv-24085-TKW-ZCB, 9/05/23
(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5402520&forum_id=2/en-en/#46775428)