In 2011, plaintiff Pauline Yip, an accountant, and plaintiff Leo Lee, the owner of an engineering company that Yip worked at, were allegedly harassed and stalked by Yip’s ex-boyfriend, Bony Tsang. They claimed Tsang’s actions ruined their professional reputations and invaded their privacy. Yip and Lee sued Tsang for defamation, defamation per se, stalking under the Civil Code, invasion of privacy (intrusion into private affairs, public disclosure of private facts and false light), and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Prior to trial, Yip was granted a restraining order against Tsang. However, prior to the restraining order being served, Tsang accepted a plea bargain, agreeing to a misdemeanor charge of stalking, and served jail time. Yip worked at Lee’s company for several years before her relationship with Tsang ended. She later started dating Lee, though they both decided to keep the existence of their relationship private. Plaintiffs’ counsel asserted that after Yip and Tsang broke up, Tsang made death threats to Yip and her children. Counsel also contended that Tsang broke into Yip’s residence while Lee was there and yelled at Yip, calling her derogatory names. Counsel further asserted that Tsang sent numerous emails and posted Facebook messages that graphically detailed sexual activities with Yip and that Tsang threatened to disseminate graphic pictures of him and Yip that he had taken without Yip’s knowledge or consent with a camera hidden in his bedroom. In addition, plaintiffs’ counsel asserted that Tsang created a new email address to masquerade as Yip, and then went online and found the Web page for Lee’s company, which listed the general information email address and sent an email to that address while pretending to be Yip. Counsel contended that Tsang, pretending to be Yip, announced that Yip was now “sleeping with the boss,” that Yip knew her “financial future is secure,” and that Yip’s job was “spreading (her) legs for the boss.” Counsel also contended that in Tsang’s email where he pretended to be Yip, he stated that Lee “paid for abortions and [that Yip] had four or five [abortions] in the past.” Plaintiff’s counsel noted that Tsang then signed the missive, “Pauline Yip, Accountant/Whore.” In addition, plaintiffs’ counsel contended that Tsang spoke to the receptionists at both of the company’s offices and revealed that Yip and Lee were in a relationship, and claimed that the only reason Yip was receiving a promotion was because of this relationship. Tsang admitted to everything except the alleged death threats. However, he claimed that he was only revealing the truth that Yip “really was a slut and whore.”, Since 2011, both Yip and Lee underwent ongoing couples counseling. They claimed that they feel embarrassment at work because “now people are laughing at them,” which is what they wanted to prevent when they originally decided to keep their relationship private. Thus, Yip and Lee sought recovery of emotional distress damages, as well as recovery of punitive damages. Defense counsel argued that Tsang’s actions did not cause any damages to Yip and Lee.