The ex-husband of a New York mother-of-three, who is believed to have killed herself by assisted suicide in Switzerland is suing the TikToker who uploaded videos that show the alleged abuse.
Allan Kassenoff quit his job following an absence of leave in June after TikToker Robbie Harvey, an advocate for women in abusive relationships, uploaded more than 20 videos Catherine Kassenoff shared on Facebook before her death.
Catherine’s post along with her suicide note have since been deleted from Facebook but her claims were circulated online and among more than 3 million of Harvey’s followers.
In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday in Florida district court obtained by the New York Post, Kassenoff claims the videos led to financial and emotional ruin.
‘With a few clicks of his keyboard and a video uploaded to TikTok, Defendant Robert Harvey financially destroyed Plaintiff Allan Kassenoff,’ his attorneys wrote in the filing.
‘And, even worse, irreparably harmed Mr. Kassenoff’s three young children… 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.’
Ex-husband Allan Kassenoff (right) of mother-of three Catherine (left) who died by assisted suicide amid ugly custody battle sues TikToker Robbie Harvey who uploaded videos showing ‘domestic abuse’ that she claimed led to her decision
The family were thrust into the national spotlight after Harvey’s posts in which Catherine accuses her estranged husband of not only domestic abuse but ‘predatory’ legal practices which involved keeping her away from her children.
The former prosecutor who was also suffering from terminal cancer painted Kassenoff as the villain in a bitter custody battle between the pair with her videos sent to several judges, attorneys and friends.
Allan Kassenoff quit his job following an absence of leave in June after TikToker Robbie Harvey (pictured), an advocate for women in abusive relationships, uploaded more than 20 videos Catherine Kassenoff shared on Facebook before her death
While the courts found no evidence of domestic violence and gave Kassenoff sole custody of his three daughters his employer Greenberg Traurig suspended him amid an investigation into the case. Days into the probe Kassenoff resigned.
The lawsuit claims that Harvey’s followers ‘bombarded’ the law firm with more than 7,000 calls and 500 emails accusing him of being the reason Catherine took her life.
It went on to claim that Harvey spread defamatory information and alleged there was editing to Catherine’s videos but did not state how they were altered.
Kassenoff also claimed there was a ‘reckless disregard for the truth’ through the commentary that accompanied Catherine’s videos and a noticeable bias.
The lawsuit alleges that Harvey’s ‘sole motivation for intentionally destroying four lives was one thing and one thing only – money.’
Apart from the $150 million lawsuit, Kassenoff is asking for a court order to have the videos removed from Harvey’s TikTok as well as an injunction to stop the popular social media personality from saying or posting anything else about him or his family.
Harvey’s attorney, Jonathan Davidoff, said in a statement that the lawsuit was nothing more than ‘spiteful revenge’ and an attempt ‘to rewrite history.’
Kassenoff also claimed there was a ‘reckless disregard for the truth’ through the commentary that accompanied Catherine’s videos and a noticeable bias
Davidoff told the Post that the lawsuit was in clear violation of Florida’s anti-Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) statue. This prohibits lawsuits brought forward against people exercising their right of free speech.
In a shocking and heartbreaking post on Facebook, Catherine accused Kassenoff of abusing her and said he was attempting to ruin her life prior to her death.
The woman, who at one point worked as special counsel to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, said she had been a victim to a ‘predatory’ court system that kept her kids away.
The couple had, according to Catherine’s post, been engaged in a nasty custody battle for their three daughters that continued to escalate.
In Catherine’s harrowing online suicide note, she released thousands of court documents, alongside the videos, in a down defunct Dropbox link.
In one email, Kassenoff vowed to ‘never stop’ in their custody battle which he claimed was costing him $3 million.
‘Even if this court awards you my last dollar, I will never stop protecting them,’ Kassenoff wrote in an email to Catherine on March 19. ‘Until the day I die.’
The lawsuit alleges that Harvey’s ‘sole motivation for intentionally destroying four lives was one thing and one thing only – money.’
In Catherine’s harrowing online suicide note, she released thousands of court documents, alongside the videos, in a down defunct Dropbox link
He added she ‘must be really proud of financially decimating’ him and their children throughout their trial.
Kassenoff also said she should have focused her rage on getting help rather than attempting to destroy him.
Along with the details of their nasty legal woes and his alleged abuse, Catherine shared videos of Kassenoff throwing tantrums and calling her a ‘fat, old loser.’
In another video, he was heard berating the mom-of-three, saying he hated her.
Other clips show him allegedly screaming behind doors, yelling at his kids to ‘shut up,’ and dramatically leaving their home and refusing to take care of the children that remain in his custody.
Meanwhile, a video of one of their daughters reveals the young girl crying and saying she doesn’t ‘want to go with that crazy guy.’
She claimed in her Facebook post that Kassenoff had made a false 911 call, claiming she was ‘capable of killing him or their own children.’
He reportedly filmed her being questioned by police, who ultimately did not arrest her after they ‘realized he was lying,’ she claimed.
In the email he sent on March 19, he listed the ruinous sum of money he said she had forced him to spend out of love for his children and said ‘you must be really proud of financially decimating me and the children’
Catherine and Allan had been engaged in a four-year custody battle for their daughters
The Westchester custody battle dragged on since 2019, records show.
In 2022, Catherine was let go from her job as special counsel to the governor of New York after she was arrested for violating a protective order. The charges were later dismissed.
In Catherine’s May 27 Facebook post, she also wrote about her third cancer diagnosis and said she was not strong enough to go through ‘debilitating chemo, surgeries, and radiation again.’
She also said she kept her health secrets under wraps because her husband would have ‘tried that much harder to end my existence.’
If you or someone you love is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.