Sued for writing a scathing review in Yelp

Started by rocca, December 06, 2012, 11:26:41 AM

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rocca

I find this ridiculous and yet there had been a few similar cases out there. So much for free (online) speech.

If people get discouraged from writing a deservedly negative review because of fear from getting lawsuits, then the consumer as a whole will be the ones disadvantaged.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2243820/Virginia-woman-sued-750-000-Yelp-review.html
"Obama is either an idiot or he's purposely trying to destroy the American economy." - Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister

walkstall

Quote from: rocca on December 06, 2012, 11:26:41 AM
I find this ridiculous and yet there had been a few similar cases out there. So much for free (online) speech.

If people get discouraged from writing a deservedly negative review because of fear from getting lawsuits, then the consumer as a whole will be the ones disadvantaged.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2243820/Virginia-woman-sued-750-000-Yelp-review.html

Hmm...If you don't like reviews then don't ask for them.   
A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.- James Freeman Clarke

Always remember "Feelings Aren't Facts."

Yawn

Fighting negative reviews has become a big business. I guess lawsuits are a part of it. I think the cattle industry fought back in the same way when Oprah began exposing some of the cruel practices that went on and some of the things that were fed to cattle.  I guess if you plan on taking down someone's livelihood, you can expect them to fight back.  Of course, a lawsuit can draw even more negative attention to your business, along with the bad will it can generate if it appears you're bullying the "little guy."

Solar

Read this earlier and the twit accused the contractor of theft without proof.
He will win in court if he decides to follow through.
You can't make unfounded claims against anyone , this is called slander.
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kramarat

Quote from: Solar on December 06, 2012, 07:23:47 PM
Read this earlier and the twit accused the contractor of theft without proof.
He will win in court if he decides to follow through.
You can't make unfounded claims against anyone , this is called slander.

Yep. Free speech doesn't include slander and defamation of character. I hate frivolous lawsuits, but some lawsuits are earned and deserved.

Solar

Quote from: kramarat on December 07, 2012, 04:39:53 AM
Yep. Free speech doesn't include slander and defamation of character. I hate frivolous lawsuits, but some lawsuits are earned and deserved.
Not only is she defaming without evidence, she is assaulting the intelligence of those that read these boards.
In the least, she should be fined for (SIP) Stupid In Public.
I swear, there should be a law, that way we could stop libs in their tracks. :biggrin:
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kramarat

Quote from: Solar on December 07, 2012, 05:55:54 AM
Not only is she defaming without evidence, she is assaulting the intelligence of those that read these boards.
In the least, she should be fined for (SIP) Stupid In Public.
I swear, there should be a law, that way we could stop libs in their tracks. :biggrin:

If her claims are completely false, I wouldn't be surprised if she is also sued by Angie's List. At least they could sue her if they decided to. I believe that there is a fairly stongly worded statement in the use agreement, that a member will not use Angie's List for spreading lies and slander, or something to that effect. The woman broke that agreement, and I think A L would have a valid case.

Solar

Quote from: kramarat on December 07, 2012, 06:12:10 AM
If her claims are completely false, I wouldn't be surprised if she is also sued by Angie's List. At least they could sue her if they decided to. I believe that there is a fairly stongly worded statement in the use agreement, that a member will not use Angie's List for spreading lies and slander, or something to that effect. The woman broke that agreement, and I think A L would have a valid case.
Yep, I agree, AL should sue, what she did is dilute the quality of the site in bringing down it's credibility.
Though proving damages in court is hard considering that even bad press can increase your traffic, so her attorney could point out the site benefited from her stupidity.

"Your Honor, my client is an idiot, but her stupidity in no way harmed Angies List, she in fact helped by bringing in new traffic.
That's right your Honor, she is merely (SIP) Stupid In Public. :laugh:
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a777pilot

Quote from: Solar on December 06, 2012, 07:23:47 PM
Read this earlier and the twit accused the contractor of theft without proof.
He will win in court if he decides to follow through.
You can't make unfounded claims against anyone , this is called slander.

In this case it would be libel vice slander.
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rocca

She did say she won in summary judgement, plus if you look at the Yelp screengrab the company has an average of 2.5 stars from 6 reviews. If you assume the woman gave them the lowest score which is a 1 star, that still gives the company just under 3 star average from the other 5 reviews. Not so great IMO.

Granted she may have exaggerated or lied about some of her bad experiences, but I don't think it is entirely without merit.

If companies don't want to receive rotten reviews, then don't do shitty jobs or pull stupid stunts that will piss off the customers. It's that simple!
"Obama is either an idiot or he's purposely trying to destroy the American economy." - Vladimir Putin, Russian Prime Minister

Darth Fife

Now, if only our elected officials could be held to the same high standards of honesty and truth in advertising as businessmen, corporations and private citizens...

:rolleyes:

kramarat

Quote from: Darth Fife on December 07, 2012, 04:18:57 PM
Now, if only our elected officials could be held to the same high standards of honesty and truth in advertising as businessmen, corporations and private citizens...

:rolleyes:

You may have just struck gold. And I mean it.

I don't have the expertise to implement it. But how damned cool would it be to have an Angie's List type site, covering every single one of our elected representatives?

A list of every damned one of them, with day to day ratings on their positions, how they voted, etc.

This could be BIG.

I would chime in with my opinion daily....................and I'm sure I'm not alone. It's all in the public domain, but most of us don't have a clue what they are doing.

Solar

Quote from: rocca on December 07, 2012, 02:48:28 PM
She did say she won in summary judgement, plus if you look at the Yelp screengrab the company has an average of 2.5 stars from 6 reviews. If you assume the woman gave them the lowest score which is a 1 star, that still gives the company just under 3 star average from the other 5 reviews. Not so great IMO.

Granted she may have exaggerated or lied about some of her bad experiences, but I don't think it is entirely without merit.

If companies don't want to receive rotten reviews, then don't do shitty jobs or pull stupid stunts that will piss off the customers. It's that simple!
There's a funny little rule in human nature, and it effects business the most.
Make a customer  happy and they may tell a friend, piss off one, and they'll tell everyone they can think of.

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