“I had my phone low and I wasn’t bothering anybody,” she said, telling the outlet she was messaging a friend having relationship trouble. “It wasn’t like constant texting.”

In his claim, Vezmar states that “while damages sought are modest, the principle is important as defendant’s behavior is a threat to civilized society.” He told HuffPost that he tried to be a “perfect gentleman” by asking his date to stop and is sorry that she feels uncomfortable. In his eyes, the issue is a straightforward one about selfish behavior.

“If she contacted me and said here take the money, this would be over. She has not,” Vezmar said.

The Alamo Drafthouse, a theater chain famous for its no texting stance, has offered Vezmar a gift certificate to drop the suit, according to a follow-up by the Statesman. CEO Tim League doesn’t want the case to waste the valuable time of the courts.

“On one hand, I am concerned about our courts being clogged with superfluous lawsuits, but as Vezmar states, ‘this is a threat to civilized society,’” League told the Statesman.

Judging from his Twitter feed, he seems to be enjoying the attention he’s receiving ― even if it hasn’t come from his date.

Movie theater attendance has been declining, with 2016 being the worst year for movie sales in nearly 100 years, Vanity Fair reported last summer. Simply based on the reaction to Vezmar’s claim, part of that decline may be due to the price of tickets ― nearly $20 ― and the fact someone else may ruin the experience.

Even the “Guardians” director James Gunn jumped in to the outrage, declaring “she deserves jail time!”