Airbnb host sent guest's wife image of him with another woman in scheme to extort him: lawsuit

 After an Airbnb guest wrote a less-than-glowing review about his stay in a Tennessee rental, the "superhost" berated him and attempted to extort his wife by emailing a photo of him with another woman.

In the lawsuit, Shawn Mackey is suing Airbnb and "superhost" Pamela Foehler.

Mackey accused Foehler and Airbnb of invading her privacy, causing her emotional distress, and "damaging" her marriage.

"Plaintiff's marriage has suffered as a result," it says, adding that the incident caused Mackey "extreme emotional distress," "public humiliation," and "mental anguish."

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According to the lawsuit, Mackey had booked a two-night stay at Foehler's "A Little Bit More Country" Airbnb in Memphis, Tennessee, for a September stay in July 2022.

During their living arrangements, Mackey told Foehler he would be in town to meet a friend and he could "invite them over for dinner," emails included in court filings show.

“Very low-key,” Mackey told Foehler. "If there are any concerns please let me know."

Foehler replied, "It seems like a lovely time." "I would love to host you all."

The lawsuit says the house, which Mackey rented for $567 a night, could accommodate 12 guests.

In the lawsuit, Mackey said he found it strange that Foehler wanted "the entire list" of guests at the house, even if they were not going to stay overnight.

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She also had a list of rules that included: no smoking or vaping, no excessive noise, no guests from the local area, no parking in front of the garage door or on the right side of the driveway, no glasses, food, beverages or drinks. Peeing in the pool, no more skinnydipping.

The "superhost" also warned that if police were called to the property "for any reason" there would be a $500 fine "at our discretion" and a $250 fine if arriving with additional guests, as well as cancellation of the stay. will be. ,

"Hello Shawn, we will be able to accommodate a maximum of 8 guests," a screenshot of the lawsuit alleges. "This is due to city restrictions and the capacity of our home. I regret that we did not discuss tripling the number of guests. Each guest must be housed on Airbnb and accounted for according to Airbnb rules and insurance requirements. There One is the cost for each guest, even if they don't stay the night. Let me also remind you about the strict no-party rule. Thank you for your understanding."

About 45 minutes later, Fohler messaged Mackey again.

According to the suit, she wrote, "Hello Shawn, I am asking you to either add additional guests now or drop them immediately." "We have also received complaints of disturbances, shouting and foul language in the parking area. Our house is in a quiet neighborhood, and we need to maintain that."

Moments later, Foehler demanded that Shawn leave the property.

"I am very sorry, but you have not violated any party rules, disturbed my neighbors by cursing and yelling in the parking lot, and had unauthorized guests," Foehler wrote in the lawsuit. "I'm asking you to leave now. I can't allow you to stay, I'm sorry."

Mackey' insisted that "none" of Foehler's claims were true.

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He said he moved in the next morning, per Foehler's request, but said there was no party, no profanity, and no uninvited guests.

His lawsuit states, "At the time he checked out the property, [Mackey], who had broken no rules and had spoken to the host, thought all issues had been resolved as a mere misunderstanding."

Mackey immediately requested a refund of $502.46, presumably for nights he booked but did not stay, and left a negative review of the property.

Foehler, concerned that McKay's review would jeopardize her "superhost" status, reportedly began "harassing" her.

The lawsuit claimed Mackey sent a photo of himself and another woman taken from a home doorbell camera.

"Hello Shawn, hope you're well. Sorry it took so long to get the photos you requested of our stay at our house. But I felt confident, honestly inspired, so I posted these Committed to posting for you and Airbnb. . The photo at 3:16 am is especially noteworthy. Should I forward the photos and video to Teresa, or will you?" Read the text.

Mackey alleges that Airbnb removed Mackey's reviews and threatened to terminate his account.

They sent him a bill of $960, which reportedly included an additional guest penalty of $160; two separate $250 fines for "breaking rules against local guests" and "excessive noise"; and $300 for "moderation of your review".

After Mackey refused to pay the fee, Foehler retaliated by emailing the illicit photo to his wife with the subject line "Nice bag".

In the body of the message, Foehler wrote: "I love your bag, where did you get it?"

Mackey claims that his marriage has suffered as a result of Foehler's harassment. He also claims that Airbnb did not defend him in this case.