Man In Selfie Sues Nancy Grace After He Was Dubbed 'Serial Killer'
DENVER (CBS4)- A man who had lived in Denver is suing CNN Headline News talk show host Nancy Grace because he claims she implied he was a serial killer which ruined his name and reputation.
"Word to the wise, this is a textbook serial killer's calling card. Look at this guy, police are looking for him now," said Grace during one of her shows in February while using the hashtag #CreepySelfie.
According to police, on Jan. 29 at approximately 9:20 p.m. a woman was putting her children to bed when an unknown man entered her home and used the woman's cellphone to take a picture of himself.
It turns out that selfie was not taken in the woman's phone, but it was technical glitch with a social media account she had accessed on her iPhone.
But before he was cleared, Benjamin Seibert became the subject of a Crime Stoppers alert.
Seibert contacted police from California where he was working. He told them that was his profile picture on Facebook. Police cleared him.
Despite being cleared by police, Grace continued with her television show on February 10, posting on Twitter and Facebook, branding him a serial killer.
"It's still very hard to deal with that as your reputation with millions of people," said Seibert.
Seibert's attorney, John Pineau, said they asked Grace repeatedly to post a correction and mitigate the humiliation and harm.
"It's very clear that despite a number of attempts to have this cease, it did not. Ms. Grace continued. It's all described in the pages of the complaint and we had no alternative but to send a message taken more seriously," said Pineau.
That is why Seibert is suing Grace and Turner Broadcasting for defamation.
"He's very much hoping that those responsible are held accountable. He would like to correct the record he's not a serial killer," said Pineau.
Seibert has since moved out of state. The complaint states he has lost income and been subjected to public hatred, contempt and ridicule.
The suit also claims the behavior is a pattern with Grace, citing two cases where people committed suicide after she took their story public.
Pineau hopes the suit will result in other victims coming forward.
Turner Broadcasting did not return calls from CBS4 for comment.