Akash Singhania has initiated a multi-million dollar defamation lawsuit against controversial streamer Vitaly Zdorovetskiy following a botched predator sting in Santa Ana. The legal action comes after Zdorovetskiy, known online as Vitaly, falsely branded Singhania a child predator during a live broadcast on the Kick platform.
The confrontation was part of Zdorovetskiy’s Catching Child Predators series. During the stream, Singhania was surrounded by the streamer’s team and subjected to aggressive accusations and racial slurs. The footage was broadcast to thousands of viewers before being widely shared across social media.
The Santa Ana Police Department has fully exonerated Singhania of any wrongdoing. Officers Renald Galstian, Lorenzo Sanchez, and Joanna Hatziefstratiou responded to the scene and confirmed that Singhania had no involvement with the alleged Snapchat messages used against him. Police verified that Singhania was not seeking a minor.
Zdorovetskiy issued a public apology on Tuesday, admitting that he and his team mistakenly portrayed Singhania as a criminal. The streamer stated he deeply regrets the error and has attempted to scrub the footage from the internet. Despite this, Singhania reports that the broadcast led to severe online harassment, death threats, and doxxing.
Legal analysts indicate Singhania’s case is exceptionally strong under defamation per se laws. Singhania has retained premier legal counsel and is seeking damages for reputational ruin and emotional distress. Estimates suggest a potential settlement or jury award could exceed $1 million given the severity of the false accusations.
Kick has reportedly issued a permanent ban against Zdorovetskiy’s account following the incident. This marks a major setback for the streamer, who recently returned to the country after serving nearly 300 days in a Philippine prison. The lawsuit is expected to serve as a landmark case regarding the accountability of vigilante-style content creators.
Singhania expressed gratitude to the officers for establishing the truth but noted that his life has been turned upside down. He remains focused on pursuing justice through the courts to ensure such reckless broadcasts carry significant consequences.