TikToker Robbie Harvey is being sued over videos accusing a lawyer of domestic abuse before his wife

• A TikToker named Robbie Harvey is being sued by a lawyer over a series of videos.
• Harvey posted more than 20 videos that he said showed Allan Kassenoff abusing his wife, Catherine.
• The lawsuit said the videos "financially destroyed" Kassenoff after Catherine Kassenoff's death.

A TikToker is being sued over videos he made accusing a lawyer of domestic abuse.

Robbie Harvey, a social-media personality in Florida whose videos focus on women's claims of abusive relationships, posted more than 20 videos in June featuring a New York lawyer named Allan Kassenoff.

The videos exposed Harvey's more than 3 million TikTok followers to footage of altercations between Kassenoff and his estranged wife, Catherine Youssef Kassenoff, that she had publicly shared in a Facebook post soon before her death in an assisted suicide.

"With a few clicks of his keyboard and a video uploaded to TikTok, Defendant Robert Harvey financially destroyed Plaintiff Allan Kassenoff," the complaint, seen by Insider, says.

"And, even worse, irreparably harmed Mr. Kassenoff's three young children," it says. "By forcing them into a life where their identities will forever be associated with a bitter and ugly divorce and the suicide of their mother."

The complaint, filed in Florida's district court on September 5, is more than 100 pages long and, as well as focusing on Harvey, includes intimate details about Kassenoff's marriage, their plans to adopt children, his wife's mental health, and the allegations of abuse. It lists six causes of action including defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and cyberstalking.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction that would mean Harvey could not post anything else about Kassenoff, a removal of all his videos, and $150 million in damages. Kassenoff is representing himself with the help of his divorce attorney Gus Dimopoulos.

Harvey was notified of Catherine Kassenoff's story by his followers after she sent an email to "numerous judges, attorneys, friends, and victims of what she felt was misconduct and corruption in the family and matrimonial courts — just before she committed assisted suicide," one of Harvey's attorneys Jonathan Davidoff told Insider.

Within that email was a link to a Dropbox folder, which Insider has seen, containing documents, pictures, recordings, and videos documenting the Kassenoffs' marriage. Harvey never spoke with Catherine Kassenoff.

Catherine Kassenoff also shared the Dropbox folder in a Facebook post she published May 27 saying she planned to kill herself "in a dignified and idyllic setting in Europe" on that day. An obituary for someone with the name Catherine Kassenoff was published on memorial website Ever Loved on May 31, and Kassenoff's lawsuit appears to confirm her death.

In the suicide note, which was later deleted but is published in the lawsuit, Catherine Kassenoff, who was 54, said she would be ending her own life as she was terminally ill with cancer. She blamed her husband for her life being a "nightmare" and said she could no longer endure abuse from him. She said she was no longer allowed to see her children and had been kicked out of her home.

It was a couple of days after her death when Harvey started making videos about her story. He reshared video footage from the Dropbox folder of Allan Kassenoff in their home screaming at her and telling her he "hated" her. In one clip, he berated her for walking around her home in her underwear. In another, he called her a "fat, old loser."

Through a complicated and nasty divorce and custody battle, Kassenoff was granted sole physical custody of his and his wife's children in 2020 by the Westchester County Court, and Catherine Kassenoff was granted supervised visits.

Court documents, seen by Insider, show that appeals submitted by Catherine Kassenoff to the New York Supreme Court to overturn the decision were denied. They also show Catherine Kassenoff was told her access to her three children, ages 14, 12, and 10, was "suspended" at the beginning of May.

The Dropbox folder contains one clip in which Kassenoff seems to scream "shut up" while his children cry. In another clip, one of their young children appears to refer to Kassenoff's behavior, saying she doesn't "want to go with that crazy guy."

Harvey shared videos along with his own commentary about Kassenoff's behavior and expressed shock that he was granted custody. He alleged it was due to "corruption involved with family court" and Kassenoff's legal connections. The lawsuit references these allegations, calling them "false," and saying Harvey "acted with a reckless disregard for the truth."

Harvey's videos brought new attention to the case, which led to Kassenoff being investigated and put on a leave of absence by his law firm, Greenberg Traurig, in June. He quit a few days later, the lawsuit says.

Kassenoff filed the lawsuit against Harvey on September 5, accusing Harvey of spreading false, defamatory, and misleading information about Kassenoff by editing Catherine Kassenoff's original footage. It's unclear how exactly Harvey is alleged to have edited the footage; several of the original videos in the Dropbox folder, seen by Insider, don't appear any different from the clips shared by Harvey, other than his commentary being added. 

The lawsuit also accuses Harvey of violating the Kassenoff children's privacy, accusing Harvey of sharing footage "including their unblurred faces" without their consent or the consent of Kassenoff.

"They will forever be associated with Google searches that turn up harmful and destructive videos and false commentary about their lives," the complaint says. "Their future partners will see the damaging information, college admissions boards will see the information, and their future employers will see it."

The complaint also claims Harvey's "sole motivation for intentionally destroying four lives was one thing and one thing only — money."

The complaint also blames Harvey for Kassenoff losing his job, saying Harvey's followers had "bombarded" Greenberg Traurig with more than 7,000 phone calls, 500 voicemails, and emails, calling him a "scumbag" and telling him "Catherine's blood is on your hands."

The legal news outlet Davis Vanguard noted that the lawsuit might actually give Harvey the opportunity to obtain more evidence supporting his claims through the discovery process.

"The lawsuit seemingly opens the door for Harvey to obtain communications between Kassenoff, his divorce attorney, as well as attorneys and therapists who were court-appointed in the couple's divorce and central to Harvey's reporting," an article on the site says.

In a comment to Insider via email, Kassenoff said Harvey "made it his mission" to destroy his career and he had "no choice but to file this action."

"Moreover, before Mr. Harvey's smear campaign, I was unaware of the sheer level of harm that so-called 'influencers' can cause ordinary people via social media," he said. "Thus, in addition to seeking to hold Mr. Harvey accountable for the damage he inflicted on my children and me, I am hoping that my lawsuit will make other influencers think twice before doing the same to others. People need to realize that social media impacts children and no one should seek to make money by emotionally and psychologically damaging innocent children."

Harvey's attorney Jonathan Davidoff also sent Insider a statement, saying the "spiteful revenge" lawsuit is an attempt for Kassenoff to "victimize" himself "while attempting to rewrite history." The statement added that Harvey was "committed to vigorously defending the meritless claims" asserted in the lawsuit and that the suit was an attempt to "silence him and his reporting about Catherine Kassenoff's torturous plight throughout her divorce."

"Mr. Harvey aims to protect not only his own constitutional rights but also those fundamental principles upon which this nation was founded — the right to freedom of speech and the freedom of the press," the statement said.

As of Monday, all of Harvey's videos on Kassenoff were still available to view.

Anyone affected by abuse and in need of support can contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233). Advocates are available 24/7 and can also be reached via live chat on thehotline.org or by texting "START" to 88788 or "LOVEIS" to 22522.

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