YouTuber Sues Impersonator for Creating Website Under His Name

A social media vlogger with a career-related YouTube channel is suing an individual for fraudulently creating a domain name under his name and posting intimate photos of him for public viewing, said the vlogger's complaint Friday (docket 5:24-cv-01621) in U.S. District Court for Northern California in San Jose. Plaintiff Cory Liguore, of Pleasanton, California, previously owned and used an account on the video chat and dating app, Fuzz, on which he would “only stream to public audiences or to private individuals by invitation only,” said the complaint. Liguore also owned and used an educational YouTube channel under his name, it said. Liguore alleges defendant Kendall Simmons, “primary decision-maker” for 7+6 Management,” is responsible for “the use and public dissemination of” Liguore’s name, likeness, intimate photos from Liguore’s Fuzz account, and personal information from Liguore’s LinkedIn account and YouTube channel -- without the plaintiff’s notice or consent – to create websites on which Simmons “impersonates” Liguore and posts intimate photos of him “for any person in the public to view.” The defendants are responsible for using “coryliguore.com” as the domain name on which the fraudulent activities occurred, the complaint said. Liguore was dismissed by his employer on Nov. 13 under his employer’s belief Liguore had posted intimate photos of himself, the complaint said. The day Liguore was fired was the first day he became aware of any use of his name, intimate photos, or personal information on any website created by the defendants, it said. Liguore has suffered “severe emotional and physical stress” as a result of the discovery and publication of the website, which has violated his privacy, and from the loss of his job, it said. On Nov. 18, after filing a police report, Liguore filed a request with Google to remove the domain name and website from search results relating to his name, “because it was using his name and information without his knowledge or consent"; Google complied, said the complaint. The Pleasanton Police Dept. convinced Wix.com, the domain registrar, to take the website down and cease domain services for coryliguore.com, it said. Wix.com also identified the owner and creator of coryliguore.com as Kendall Simmons from Villa Park, Illinois, it said. Liguore asserts claims of cyberpiracy protection for individuals, cyber piracy, civil harassment, disorderly conduct and cyber exploitation, intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, and unfair competition. He requests preliminary and permanent injunctions, a transfer of the domain to himself, an award of statutory and other monetary compensation, plus attorneys’ fees and costs.