A Florida resident has filed a lawsuit alleging defamation and emotional distress against two individuals and an organization known for exposing alleged predators online. The complaint, filed by Jacob Milewsky in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County on June 17, 2024, targets Samantha E. Dardy, Cody John Hamelers, and their website “OFFICIALPTI.COM,” doing business as “Protect the Innocent.”

According to the court documents, Milewsky claims that in early 2022 he was contacted on a dating website by an individual who later revealed they were about to turn 15. Unbeknownst to Milewsky, this individual was allegedly a fictitious persona created by Dardy and Hamelers as part of their operation to expose adults seeking inappropriate relationships with minors. Despite no sexual content in their exchanges and his refusal to meet the supposed minor, Dardy and Hamelers reportedly went to Milewsky’s home on June 18, 2022. They recorded interactions with his parents, accusing him of engaging in sexually explicit conversations with a child.

The video of this encounter was posted on Protect the Innocent’s YouTube channel and website under a section labeled “Predators.” It depicted Milewsky as a predator attempting to molest a minor. Despite police investigations finding no evidence of sexual intent in Milewsky’s messages, the defamatory video remained online.