Woman sues Bell, customer service rep who allegedly shared phone number with harassers

A Cape Breton woman whose video defending a transgender rights advocate made her the target of online vitriol and threats is suing her cellphone provider and a customer service agent she alleges shared her number and home address with harassers. 

Richelle McCormick said the bullying began after her video, which she posted in February 2023 on TikTok, was shared and criticized by an account with more than seven million followers.

"After this, the plaintiff became the subject of a harassment campaign by several individuals, some living in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom," reads a statement of claim filed last week in Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

The document alleges McCormick's name was posted on a "doxing" website with the purpose of gathering personal information that could be used to harass her. 

By August 2023, McCormick had deactivated TikTok, but she said the harassment spilled into text messages, including some sent to family and friends. The Glace Bay woman tried to escape the bullies by deleting apps and changing her cellphone number for a $55 fee.

But the statement of claim alleges one of those bullies was a customer service agent for McCormick's cellphone provider, Bell Mobility, who was checking her customer file for updates and passing that information along to people in a private group chat.

"I thought nobody could get my new number. But they had it immediately," McCormick told CBC News.

'She must be scared'

The statement of claim includes alleged texts between the agent and members of the group chat. "Richelle just called in and changed her phone number," the agent wrote, according to the document.

One person replied, "She must be scared because we've contacted that other number."

The document names Bell; its mobile network operator, Bell Mobility; call centre operator Nordia; and the agent working there. None of the allegations has been tested in court.

The statement of claim alleges the agent "intentionally invaded the plaintiff's private phone records, without legal justification and that such conduct was highly offensive and caused severe distress, humiliation and anguish to the plaintiff."

Midnight visit by police

In one alleged incident, police officers arrived at McCormick's door around midnight after someone called 911 requesting an emergency wellness check on her. 

"The plaintiff informed the police that they had been called by one of her harassers and that this was a 'swatting' attempt (a form of doxing where the police are called to the victim's house)," the statement of claim says.

In an interview, McCormick said the harassment also included having her photos Photoshopped onto "explicit images." In one video posted to TikTok, a woman warns McCormick that "we're all coming together for the greater good. To take you down."

McCormick said she called Bell Mobility during the harassment and told them she believed there had been a privacy breach of her file.

"They essentially reassured me that there were no security risks on my account," she said.

When her new number was compromised, McCormick hired a lawyer. 

"Bullying on the internet is nothing new," said Laura Neilan, partner at Pressé-Mason Barristers and Solicitors in Halifax. "However this is something I've never heard about before — an employee accessing someone's phone records for the purposes of harassment. I think people will really find that shocking."

'Terrifying' experience

Neilan said it shouldn't matter that the agent was employed by Nordia, which is a contractor of Bell. "From the customer's perspective, they're speaking to someone from Bell," she said.

She said neither Bell nor Nordia were interested in a possible settlement out of court.

Nordia did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Bell told CBC News the company had not yet been served with a claim and was unable to comment.

The statement of claim says McCormick is seeking unspecified damages and costs.

McCormick said she's looking forward to the legal process ahead.

"This isn't about money for me," she said. "It's just terrifying that this can occur."