Can someone sue you for a bad review?
Can someone sue you for a bad review?
To be honest, the answer is: It depends. For the most part, reviews are covered under the First Amendment, which protects free speech. If a customer posts a review that is factually inaccurate or contains accusations about your business that are untrue, you may have grounds to sue the online reviewer for defamation.
Is it illegal to post a bad review?
Falsity. A person can post a review of someone even if it is negative in nature without committing the tort of defamation. Truth is an absolute defense to this type of legal cause of action.
What is a defamatory review?
Defamation laws vary from state to state but, generally, a person may be liable for defamation when he or she posts a review that contains demonstrably false assertions of fact (as opposed to opinion), that are damaging to the subject of the review.
Can reviews be defamatory?
A bad review crosses the line into defamation if the reviewer lies about being a customer or lies about their experience. For example, a known competitor leaving a bad review in an attempt to hurt your reputation could be considered a defamatory statement.
Is a bad Google review defamation?
A colourful 2020 case, Smith v Jones, held that a google review was a publication. The implications of this decision are that now a google review can satisfy the first requirement needed to prove defamation. Based upon this fact and Bristow v Adams [2012] NSWCA 166, damage to the plaintiff’s reputation is presumed.
Can a customer Sue A reviewer for defamation?
If a customer posts a review that is factually inaccurate or contains accusations about your business that are untrue, you may have grounds to sue the online reviewer for defamation. The best way to distinguish between the two?
Who was sued for posting a negative review?
When “CBS This Morning” spoke with him in May, Lloyd owed $26,000 in legal bills, more than his $20,000 yearly Social Security income. And he’s not the only person who’s been sued. Last year, a New York woman was sued by her doctor for $1 million for posting negative online reviews.
Can you get sued for posting a bad review on the Internet?
Posting a negative review online can get you sued Posting reviews has become second nature for many consumers nowadays – 82 percent of adults say they read online reviews at least some of the time, according to a Pew Research Center Study – so when they have a bad experience with a business, up goes a review, to share it with others.
Can a company sue someone for defamation in Australia?
However, there are a couple of barriers that could make it harder to sue. Firstly, some “persons” cannot sue. Under Australia’s uniform defamation laws, certain corporate bodies – that is, companies – do not have a cause of action in defamation.