Brandon Vezmar, 37, of Austin, Texas, met a 35-year-old woman online and the two decided to go out on a date. On May 6, they went to the Barton Square Theater to watch the 3D screening of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2. According to Vezmar, about 15 minutes after the movie began, the woman, who has not been identified, began texting. Vezmar said, “This is like one of my biggest pet peeves.”
According to Vezmar, who owns his own communications company, he suggested the woman go outside to the lobby to text which she did. But she never returned. As the two had arrived at the theatre in her car, poor Vezmar had to make his own way home.
Vezmar later called the woman and asked her to pay him for the cost of her ticket. She refused, saying he took her on a date so it was his responsibility to pay. He even tried to get her sister to reimburse him for the cost of the ticket but she refused as well. The woman is considering applying for a protection order against the 37-year-old after he contacted her sister.
So Vezmar took the only other recourse available to him. Last week he launched a lawsuit claiming damages in the amount of $17.31; the cost of the ticket.
Vezmar alleges in his claim his date took her phone out between 10 and 20 times during the movie to either send or read text messages. He stated this is not only against theatre policy but “adversely affected the viewing experience of the Plaintiff and others.” Vezmar also characterized what his date did as “a threat to civilized society.”
When contacted by the media yesterday, the woman had not been served with the claim. She said to the Austin Statesman, “Oh my God. This is crazy.” She said she only used her phone two or three times in the theater. She said she was texting a friend who was fighting with her boyfriend. The woman added her phone was on low and it wasn’t bothering other patrons. She also told the Statesman, “I’m not a bad woman. I just went out on a date.”
The woman told KVUE, she felt Vezmar escalated the situation “far beyond what any mentally healthy person would” and said she had to leave the theatre out of concerns for her safety. She hopes he can eventually move past this.
When James Gunn, who directed Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, found out about the lawsuit, he tweeted the woman ought to be jailed.
Why stop at suing? She deserves jail time! Gunn (@JamesGunn) May 16, 2017
Kezmar told KVUE he is “fully aware of the weirdness of this situation.”
