Jahmel Binion’s “selfie” on social media was mocked by NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, former Michigan star and Utah Jazz rookie Trey Burke and rapper Waka Flocka. 
 
 Now, the Warren man — who has a rare genetic disorder that affects his facial features — is suing them. 
 
 Binion‘s story went national earlier this year. On Wednesday, he filed a lawsuit in Macomb County Circuit Court seeking more than $25,000 in damages. 
 
 Binion took a picture of himself last summer and it was later mocked on social media. Binion then created an antibullying campaign Hug Dont Judge and a Facebook group page that took off. 
 
 Binion said O’Neal and Burke later called him to apologize and the trio posted apologies on Twitter. 
 
 Binion’s condition, called ectodermal dysplasia, can affect a person’s appearance and cause health problems. In Binion’s case, he does not sweat, and the condition has affected his hair and teeth. If he gets overheated and can’t cool himself down, he said, he could faint or suffer heat stroke. 
 
 According to the lawsuit, the “offensive communications” were communicated nationally and globally to more than 8.4 million recipients, including those in Macomb County. 
 
 The lawsuit alleges invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation and general negligence. 
 
 It states that publication of the photos, mocking Binion, publicly disclosed embarrassing private facts about Binion, was widely regarded as “extreme and outrageous conduct,” and caused him severe emotional distress. 
 
 “The defendants’ communications clearly implied that the plaintiff was an appropriate object of mockery, ridicule and shame. The defendants’ communications had the effect of lowering the plaintiff’s reputation in the eyes of those who respected the views and opinions of the defendants,” according to the lawsuit. “The defendants’ communications were false because the plaintiff’s medical condition is not an appropriate reason for mockery, ridicule and shame.” 
 
 Neither Binion nor his attorney could be immediately reached for comment. ||||| Jahmel Binion 
 
 A Warren man afflicted with a rare disease sued a trio of celebrities, including Shaquille O’Neal, who ridiculed him over his appearance on social media. 
 
 Jahmel Binion, 23 at the time of the incident, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against O’Neal, Trey Burke and the rapper known as Waka Flocka Flame in Macomb County Circuit Court. He claims defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and general negligence for the incidents earlier this year. 
 
 “The defendants mocked and ridiculed the plaintiff, a person completely unknown to themselves in public forums where their activity would be widely disseminated,?the lawsuit says. “The defendants?communications clearly implied that the plaintiff was an appropriate object of mockery, ridicule and shame?and “had the effect of lowering the plaintiff’s reputation in the eyes of those who respected the views and opinion of the defendants.?/p> 
 
 O’Neal, a former NBA superstar, in April obtained a selfie photo that Binion posted on social media and took a picture of himself, making a face, and posted it adjacent to Binion on Instagram and Twitter. It was accompanied by the words, “Smile today.?Others joined in the online teasing, including former University of Michigan and current Utah Jazz basketball player Burke and rapper Waka Flocka Flame. 
 
 Advertisement 
 
 Binion has hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, a rare disorder characterized by a reduced ability to sweat, sparse hair growth, missing teeth and facial deformities. 
 
 Upon learning about Binion’s condition, O’Neal and Burke apologized and called Binion. 
 
 But Binion, who attended Madison High School in Madison Heights, told The Oakland Press in May that the apology came several days after the celebrities were criticized nationally by several media sources. 
 
 “When they said sorry, I felt like they were saying it to get the pressure off of them for being considered ‘bad people,’” Binion said. “Even though I accept their apology, I still hope that they donate to my cause or other organizations that connect with ectodermal dysplasia.?/p> 
 
 In the lawsuit, Binion’s attorney, John Henke III, says the mocking photos “constituted a public disclosure of embarrassing private facts about the plaintiff?and “placed plaintiff in a false light in the public eye.?/p> 
 
 The ridiculing was done “with reckless disregard to the harm that might be caused?to Binion, the complaint says. 
 
 The “offensive communications?were relayed to 8.4 million people, including many in Macomb County, the lawsuit says. 
 
 Binion, who was diagnosed with the disorder shortly after birth, said he has had trouble maintaining employment; he can’t work in hot conditions. He has lived beyond his life expectancy of five years upon diagnosis. 
 
 Binion has turned the turn of events into positive actions. 
 
 He started the Facebook group “Hug Don’t Judge.?/p> 
 
 A few weeks after the incident, well-known boxing manager Jackie Kallen arranged to have Binion and his cousin, Maxine Montgomery, picked up in a limousine and taken to a Dearborn Civic Center for her fighter Ray Edwards?boxing match, where he was treated like a celebrity. 
 
 The lawsuit doesn’t name a damage figure but seeks more than $25,000. 
 
 O’Neal resides in Windermere, Fla., and has a residence in Massachusetts, the lawsuit says. Burke, whose legal first name is Alphonso Clark Burke III, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, while Waka Flocka Flame, whose legal name is Juaquin Malphurs, resides in McDonough, Ga. ||||| FRANKLIN, TN (WKRN) — A Middle Tennessee family is raising awareness about a rare genetic disorder called LCHAD. 
 
 It’s so rare that it only affects one in 100,000 children and one of them is a little boy from Franklin. 
 
 Just by looking at 2-year-old Owen Torti, you would never know he has special medical needs. 
 
 Owen has LCHAD, which means his body can not break down certain fats for energy. 
 
 “It can get pretty serious pretty fast, and what that means is he has to eat around the clock. He can’t go that far without eating a full meal,” Kayla Torti, Owen’s mother, told News 2. 
 
 If he goes without, his body begins breaking down muscle. 
 
 Kayla Torti and husband Tyler Torti said he must eat every hour and is fed through a stomach tube. 
 
 Owen was diagnosed with the disorder when he was just a week old. 
 
 When his parents looked for more information online, there wasn’t much available. 
 
 “When you find out your child has something you’ve never heard of before, you don’t know how to treat it, you also don’t know what it means long term… It can feel really lonely for parents initially,” Tyler Torti said. 
 
 The Torti family isn’t alone. People they don’t even know are rallying around them. 
 
 Two teams wearing shirts that said “All in for Owen” ran the Ragnar Relay through Tennessee to raise awareness for Owen and his metabolic disorder. 
 
 Runners raised $15,000 to help pay the boy’s medical bills. 
 
 Tyler Torti said the event made them feel loved, “like other people care.” 
 
 Kayla and Tyler Torti said they are both carriers of LCHAD and if they have more children, there is a 25 percent chance they’ll have the disorder as well. 
 
 The Torti family isn’t sure what the future will look like, but they are certain they want to get the word out. 
 
 “Our hope is that if somebody next year is diagnosed with LCHAD and the parents are online googling trying to figure out what this stuff is, they might find us and feel this sort of sense of peace. That hey, this family is doing it and maybe I can too,” Kayla and Tyler Torti told News 2. 
 
 The first LCHAD diagnosis wasn’t until the 1990’s. The oldest living person with the disorder the Torti’s have contacted is now 25. 
 
 LCHAD was added to the newborn screening just six years ago. 
 
 Click here to find out more. 
 
 This slideshow requires JavaScript.
– A Michigan man with a rare genetic disorder is seeking more than $25,000 in damages from Shaquille O'Neal, NBA player Trey Burke, and rapper Waka Flocka for making fun of his pic on social media, reports the Detroit Free Press. Jahmel Binion has ectodermal dysplasia, a condition that can cause facial deformities and an inability to regulate body temperature, among other symptoms, according to the National Institutes of Health. Shaq did apologize with a repentant tweet and phone call, according to TMZ, but Binion isn't buying the good-guy act. "When they said sorry, I felt like they were saying it to get the pressure off of them for being considered ‘bad people,'" he tells the Macomb Daily.