Haskins’ family on Wednesday sued the Steeler’s widow, accusing her of misusing his name and image on social media and refusing to share her husband’s ashes.
The plaintiffs — Haskins’ mother and father, Tamara and Dwayne Haskins Sr., and sister, Tamia Haskins, all of Clarksburg, Md., as well as the Haskins Family Foundation — are suing Kalabrya Haskins, of Atlanta, alleging harassment over their attempts to use his name and image on social media.
The lawsuit claims that Kalabrya Haskins has complained about the family posting about Dwayne Jr. on Instagram, leading to the social media platform disabling their accounts.
According to the complaint, since Haskins Jr. died, the plaintiffs have “experienced constant harassment from the defendant whenever they have attempted to reference his name, image and likeness in public forums such as social media.”
In one instance, according to the complaint, Dwayne Haskins Sr.’s account was disabled because he “created ‘an account that looks like it belongs to a celebrity.’”
“This decision was made despite the fact that Dwayne Haskins Sr. simply shares the same name as his famous son, but has not otherwise posted any content on Instagram,” the complaint said.
The dispute is set against a backdrop of squabbling in Allegheny County Orphans’ Court over the quarterback’s estate, which is being administered by his widow against the wishes of his parents.