Can Someone Get in Troubke Dor Writing Bad Reviews onsomeone

Did yous know that you could exist sued for writing a negative review of a business on Yelp? Information technology's true. A Virginia-based building contractor has sued one of his former customers for writing a blistering review of his business organisation on the popular review website. According to the Washington Post, Christopher Dietz seeks $750,000 in damages in an Internet defamation lawsuit filed confronting Fairfax Canton, Virginia, resident Jane Perez, who claimed in her Yelp review that Dietz acquired damage to her home, failed to complete piece of work he said he did, and stole her jewelry. Dietz is also seeking a preliminary injunction against Perez to go on her from writing whatsoever more Yelp reviews.

Dietz's adjust against Perez is far from the first lawsuit filed for negative Yelp reviews. Doctors have washed it. Dentists have done it. Owners of wedding venues have washed information technology. And unless y'all're careful, that eatery y'all just chosen "filthy" might sue you, too. Here's how to make sure that doesn't happen.

Speak the truth

You might call up that the First Subpoena protects your right to say what you like about the businesses you patronize. And for the most part, that'southward true. There are, nonetheless, limits to free speech in the U.S., and one of those limits is laws against defamation.

Defamation applies to whatever statements that brand someone else await bad to the public. Most of the time, a defamatory statement must be falsefor the courts to dominion information technology against the law.

And so, the number one rule when writing reviews on Yelp or elsewhere online is to be 100 percent factual in your criticisms. Don't say that a waiter spilled scalding java in your lap if he didn't, or that you were overcharged when you lot weren't.

Opinions are better than hard facts

To avoid stepping into factually ambiguous territory, colour your review with opinions and emotions rather than exaggerations on the facts.

For example, I once took my canis familiaris to a trainer for agility lessons. During a grade, the trainer pulled a choker collar extremely tight effectually my dog's cervix only later on feeding him a treat. He immediately stuck out his tongue and the cheese fell out of his mouth, then he cowered away in fear. I was livid, and immediately left the class.

Now, what I might want to say in a Yelp review is that the trainer "abused my dog," "choked him," etc. But a ameliorate, every bit constructive mode to criticize this trainer would be to say that "it looked as though she choked my dog," and that her training methods "made me experience extremely uncomfortable." These qualifiers – looked, feel – allow me to get my signal across while avoiding accusing the trainer of something that I might non exist able to back up in court. And opinions are, of course, protected by the U.S. Constitution.

Getting SLAPPed

Of course, cipher you practice tin cease someone else from filing a lawsuit to silence a bad review that might negatively affect business. Just there are land laws in identify that tin.

Lawsuits of this nature are called "Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation," or SLAPP. They are filed for the sole purpose of shutting people upwardly by imposing the crushing toll of a legal defense. In response to these speech communication-chilling lawsuits, a number of states – around 30 so far – have passed anti-SLAPP legislation, which makes information technology easier for courts to dismiss instances of SLAPP. And while the Federal authorities has non yet passed anti-SLAPP legislation, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled on a diverseness of cases that aid bolster the legal fight against SLAPP.

To get a improve understanding of anti-SLAPP laws, click here.

Keep it quick

To sum up, Yelp provides consumers with a cracking service. But it can be driveling by patrons and businesses alike. If you have a negative feel with a business, keep the facts simple and straightforward, and don't exaggerate. If you don't believe the straight facts properly limited the severity of a situation, feel complimentary to give a scathing opinion to avert fudging the objective facts in a potentially slanderous mode.

Prototype via Evgeniya Porechenskaya/Shutterstock

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