Yikes! #Socialites, get into this wild story! Airbnb and an Airbnb host are now being sued by a male guest after the host sent his wife a photo of him with another woman after he left a bad review.
It’s reported that the guest, identified as Mississippi resident Shawn Mackey, is suing Airbnb and his “superhost” Pamela Fohler, accusing them of invading his privacy, inflicting emotional distress, and causing “damage” to his marriage.
Mackey initially filed his 22-page complaint in September 2022 and in it, he alleges that Fohler emailed his wife a screenshot from a door camera. The photo that was taken after 3 a.m. shows Mackey walking into the home with a woman who was not his wife.
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According to Mackey’s complaint, the “superhost” allegedly tried to seek revenge after he refused to pay $960 in fees and penalties for having extra guests and breaking house rules. At the time, Mackey had rented a house in Memphis, Tennessee for a weekend reunion with old friends.
Mackey booked the stay for September 9 through 11 for himself and three other guests, who all had tickets to a football game. Mackey said he notified his Airbnb host that he might be inviting a few other old friends over for dinner as well.
The home featured three bedrooms and two bathrooms and was listed at $557 per night. However, Mackey reportedly refused to pay an additional $960 fee that was issued after his Airbnb host claimed that he had broken two house rules and invited more guests than promised.
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Subsequently, Fohler allegedly retaliated against Mackey by emailing his wife a security camera photo of him and another woman coming into the home after 3 a.m. one night. According to a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, the property, which was promoted as a “Little Bit More Country,” was also marketed as a place to “forget your worries in [a] spacious and serene space!”
Prospective renters were promised a “beautiful home nestled in the outskirts’ of town,” which could hold up to 12 guests. Additionally, Mackey said Fohler told him to “register” anybody who might show up that weekend, whether they intended on staying the night or not, to which he agreed with Fohler noting she could update the guest registry at any time.
When Mackey arrived at the home on September 9, he gave Fohler a list of dinner guests, which totaled nine people, plus “maybe a few more,” and of those about four or five who would stay the night.
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About 10 minutes later, the Airbnb host wrote back, “Hello Shawn, we will be able to accommodate a max of 8 guests. This is due to the city restrictions and capacity at our home. I apologize we had not discussed the guest count tripling.” She noted that there would be a “cost to each guest” even those that don’t stay overnight.
45 minutes later, Fohler reiterated her message and said, “Hello Shawn, I am asking you to either add the extra guests now or have them leave immediately. We have also gotten complaints of disturbances, yelling, and profanity in the parking area. Our home is in a quiet neighborhood and we need to maintain that.”
About 15 minutes after that, Fohler sent another message claiming she received more complaints and this time, she asked Mackey and his guests to leave the premises. In his lawsuit, Mackey claimed that “none of this was true,’ and that he called Fohler, and spoke with her husband, Jamie.
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After explaining what happened, Jamie told him that he could stay in the home. The next morning, Fohler messaged Mackey via the Airbnb app, giving him instructions on how to strip the beds and load the dishwasher, and wishing him “safe travels.” Mackey claimed he followed her instructions and that upon checking out of the property he had broken no rules and had spoken to the host, believing all issues were resolved as a simple misunderstanding.
However, he did leave a bad review and asked for a partial refund of $502.46, which he was denied. According to the lawsuit, Fohler “began harassing” Mackey, allegedly upset over his bad review and fearful of it affecting her “superhost” status. She even allegedly deleted the bad review.
On September 14, an Airbnb representative told Mackey they were investigating the issue and would temporarily suspend his account. They even threatened to permanently terminate his account.
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On September 17, Mackey claimed that Fohler texted him photos of him with another woman, claiming, “Hello Shawn, hope you are well. 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. Photo at 3:16 AM is especially notable. Should I forward the photos and videos to [Mackey’s wife] Teresa, or will you?”
She also allegedly threatened to put the content on YouTube, because the file was too large to text. On September 19, Mackey received a bill from Airbnb for $960, which included a $160 fine for the extra guests, $250 each for breaking rules against local guests and excessive noise, and another $300 for “moderation of your review.”
Mackey refused to pay for the extra charges, firing back and alleging that Fohler had been harassing and retaliating against him. On September 20, Fohler allegedly took things further and emailed a picture of Mackey and the woman to his wife, with the subject line “nice bag.” The copy, “I love your bag, where’d you get it?”
Mackey said Airbnb would not consider Fohler’s alleged actions and in her December 2022 countersuit, she denied emailing Mackey’s wife. Fohler has also filed a motion to dismiss, along with Airbnb filing a motion to compel the parties to undergo arbitration. Mackey has until February 21 to respond.
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