Marianne Flippo, the widow of Roblox programmer Chad Flippo, has filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against New York escort Greggory Starr, alleging he and his agent manipulated her into paying nearly $6 million while she was grieving and medically vulnerable. The 49-year-old claims Starr, 38, and his agency exploited her emotional state and dependence on prescription medication to extract the money, framing it as a fee to make him her exclusive partner rather than a client of the escort service that had introduced them.

The relationship began after Flippo paid $27,000 to agency Cowboys 4 Angels for Starr's services as an Italian interpreter during a trip to Italy in December 2024, months after her husband's death by suicide in August 2024. As their bond deepened, Flippo alleges Starr and agent Bridget Collins told her she would need to pay $10 million for him to leave the agency, eventually pressuring her into a $5.95 million "exit agreement" signed in Atlanta in February this year while she was under the influence of medication and alcohol. Her lawyer says she was suffering "Stockholm syndrome" and that Starr exerted "Svengali-like control" over her; Starr has not responded to requests for comment.