By Brett Hudson
Former Mississippi State superfan Steven “Stingray” Ray has filed a civil lawsuit against Barstool for negligence, invasion of privacy and wantonness, defined as a disposition to willingly inflict pain and suffering on others. The suit was filed in Tuscaloosa Circuit Court on Feb. 15. No lawyer is listed as representing Ray.
The suit also lists WorldStarHipHop as a defendant.
Ray became an internet figure in the Mississippi State athletics community for his opinions and rants on the teams, to the point that he was invited on an episode of the Comedy Central show Tosh.0 for what it called a Web Redemption. The Twitter account, @stevenray28, has since been suspended, but only after Ray publicly denounced his MSU fandom, crediting treatment by the fan base at large. He was photographed in Southern Miss and Ole Miss apparel in the fall.
The suit acknowledges that role gave Ray, “a modest online presence.” The suit uses one example of Ray sharing a photo of himself on a birthday lunch at Hooters with a waitress. Barstool, according to the lawsuit, took the picture and added the words, “how can someone look like a child and a child molester at the same time.” The lawsuit alleges Barstool did such without Ray’s consent and, “in a willful, wanton and malicious manner..”
Later, in the intentional infliction of emotional distress portion of the lawsuit, it states Barstool, “did so only with hopes of gain in mind, that the publication of this altered photo have damaged the reputation of the Plaintiff (Ray).”
The lawsuit also states Ray is, “entitled to recover against the defendants for injuries, damages and losses proximately caused by their publication as set forth in the Complaint.” It states Ray is entitled to Punitive Damages that are not exactly defined in the complaint.