It has been described as the "first date from hell" - and it ended in a lawsuit.

A man from Texas sued a woman this week for $17.31 - the price of a cinema ticket - after she irritated him by texting during a movie.

Brandon Vezmar, 37, of Austin, claimed Crystal Cruz was "a threat to civilised society" after she used her phone to read and send text messages "at least 10-20 times in 15 minutes" during the 3D showing of “Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2” on Saturday.

“It was kind of a first date from hell,” he told the Austin American-Statesman, saying she started about 15 minutes after the movie began. “This is one of my biggest pet peeves.”