A social media influencer is being sued for allegedly trespassing and causing a disturbance in front of children at the West Orange Tennis Club in Essex County, according to court documents.
Seth Shyrock, who posts prank videos to YouTube and TikTok, appeared at the tennis club in the 1400 block of Pleasant Valley Way during a children’s lesson on May 4, 2023, according to a lawsuit filed March 27 in Superior Court of Essex County.
The lawsuit states Shyrock’s cameraman began filming at the indoor tennis courts without permission from staff or parents of the children attending class. Shyrock allegedly told an employee he was interested in tennis because he’s “a p----,” the suit says.
“Is this just like some kind of a joke or something?” a staffer asked, according to the lawsuit.
Shyrock said it was not a joke and “yelled out as he threw himself to the ground and tossed the contents of a box he was holding – dozens of tennis balls – high into the air and across the court, the suit says.
The employee asked Shyrock and his cameraman, who is not identified in court papers, to leave but they refused, the suit says.
“Despite being asked to leave multiple times, the defendant and defendant’s cameraman refused even after they were informed that if they would not leave, then WOTC staff would call the police,” the suit says.
Shyrock allegedly told arriving officers that his interaction with the employee “was part of an elaborate joke,” the suit says.
“The defendant then accused WOTC staff of sexually assaulting the defendant’s cameraman,” the suit says.
Two days later, “an unauthorized video” of the incident was uploaded to Shyrock’s YouTube and TikTok accounts, the suit says.
Additional clips from the incident were again uploaded to Shyrock’s social media accounts on May 8 and on May 10, 2023, the suit says.
On Oct. 16, 2023, a compilation video was uploaded to YouTube that featured recordings of staff members and children attending a program at the tennis club, along with a canopy bearing the name of the tennis club, according to the suit.
“As recently as March 23, 2024, every video uploaded to defendant’s account on YouTube has ended with a clip of the ... video featuring recordings of WOTC staff and the WOTC facility,” the suit says.
The lawsuit alleges trespass at a private club, unlawful appropriation of name and likeness that resulted in the tennis club losing business and incurring security expenses, along with interfering with and damaging a business.
Public records show Shyrock was charged with several disorderly persons’ offenses related to the West Orange Tennis Club incident, including criminal trespass and harassment. The charges were dismissed after Shyrock agreed to pay a fine, court records show.
Shyrock did not immediately respond via his Instagram account to a request for comment. An attorney representing Shyrock did not immediately return a call seeking comment on the lawsuit.
Shyrock’s social media accounts are comprised mostly of prank videos, which include harassing customers and employees in stores, libraries and other public spaces, and drinking bottles of non-alcoholic beer while driving past police vehicles.
Court records show Shyrock was charged with disorderly persons offenses last year in Union Township and Bloomfield. He was charged with harassment on Jan. 22 in Springfield Township, records show.
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