Dating site Ashley Madison has described a $20m lawsuit as “frivolous” and “extortionary”.
Yesterday HRM Online reported on a suit filed by Doriana Silva, who claimed creating thousands of fake profiles for Ashley Madison, the dating site for married people, caused her serious and permanent wrist damage.
Today the company has responded describing the suit as “frivolous” and claiming Silva is exaggerating her injuries.
“Ms. Silva’s allegations are without merit, and we consider this to be a frivolous claim brought by an opportunistic Plaintiff,” Ashley Madison’s parent company Avid Media wrote.
The statement said Silva worked for 91 days, complaining about the wrist pain one day after her probationary period ended.
“An independent insurance auditor failed to find her credible and as such refused her claim,” the statement said, adding that two medical professionals diagnosed Silva with a strain and prescribed rest. “Not until Ms. Silva travelled back to Brazil, did her medical diagnosis change.”
“Several good faith attempts to accommodate Ms. Silva’s alleged restrictions were rejected by her; Avid was then sued by Ms. Silva, with her extortionary demands escalating over time from $120,000 (USD) to $20 million,” the company said.
The company said photos from Silva’s social media showing her jet skiing and vacationing contradict her claim that the injury to her wrist is affecting how she can live her life.
Silva’s lawyer Paul Dollak said his client is “alarmed” that Ashley Madison accessed her Facebook account without her permission and after she stopped working for the company, adding that the photos “have nothing at all to do with her ability to keyboard or ongoing injuries.”
Ashley Madison refused to compensate Silva for her injuries, and she wasn’t eligible for workers’ compensation, so she had no other option but to sue, he claimed.
While compensation for personal injuries is usually calculated based on how much a person has suffered, Silva is seeking a share of the money earned through the profiles she created, Dollak has said.
