Kaelyn Lunglhofer, a 19-year-old University of Tennessee freshman, has taken the makers of the dating app Meete to federal court, accusing the company of lifting a TikTok video she posted and dropping it into sexually suggestive ads aimed at men near her Knoxville dorm. The complaint, filed April 28 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, names several offshore companies as defendants. Lunglhofer says the campaign left her feeling exposed and unsafe as she starts her first year on campus.
What the federal complaint alleges
According to the lawsuit, the defendants pulled a roughly 10-second snippet from Lunglhofer’s graduation-day TikTok, inserted it into an online ad, and layered on a voiceover asking, "Are you looking for friends with benefits?" The filing says the clip was overlaid with Meete branding and a signup link, then pushed out across social platforms, including Snapchat. The complaint characterizes those steps as false endorsement and misuse of Lunglhofer’s likeness and asks a judge to order the ads removed and award monetary relief, as detailed in the complaint.
How the ad reportedly reached campus
Lunglhofer’s attorneys say this was no random ad placement. According to the complaint, the campaign relied on geofencing and targeted ad buys to steer the sexualized content to male users physically near her, including residents on other floors of her dormitory. That level of targeting, they argue, made the ad seem more believable to people who might recognize her. As reported by CyberScoop, the plaintiff’s team hired an investigative firm and documented where and how the ads appeared before filing suit.
Who’s named and what she’s asking for
The lawsuit names Quantum Communications Development Limited, Starpool Technology Limited (doing business as Starpool Data Limited), and Guangzhou Yuedong Interconnection Technology Co., Ltd. as defendants, alleging they publish and monetize Meete through app stores and U.S. trademarks. Lunglhofer is asking for injunctive relief, disgorgement of any revenues tied to the ads, compensatory damages and punitive damages, with the complaint setting at least $750,000 as the minimum amount in dispute. The counts include claims under the Lanham Act and under Tennessee law for unauthorized use of her image and likeness, as set out in the complaint.
Lawyers and the student’s reaction
Abram J. Pafford, a partner at McGuireWoods who represents Lunglhofer, called this sort of geo-targeted use "disturbing and dangerous" and said his firm spent months looking into the app before filing the case. Lunglhofer told local TV she was "so embarrassed" and "literally mortified" after a classmate sent her screenshots and recordings of the ad, as reported by WVLT. Her legal team says the lawsuit is meant to shut down the practice and protect other people whose images may be used without their knowledge.
Why the case could be hard to police
Attorneys and industry watchers say the dispute highlights ongoing challenges in enforcing U.S. users’ rights when social apps are run overseas but marketed and monetized inside the United States. Legal analysts note that false-endorsement and ad-tech fights are increasingly landing in federal court and drawing regulatory interest, according to reporting from Bloomberg Law. The complaint argues that the defendants’ app registrations, trademark filings, and distribution through major app stores give the court enough U.S. contacts to assert jurisdiction, according to Justia.
