New York Real Estate Lawyer Blog
It seems to be getting a little more risky to post negative online reviews. A Virginia Court recently ordered that certain negative online reviews of a home improvement contractor be removed from Yelp.com, pending a trial for defamation against the reviewer.
The reviewer, apparently unsatisfied with the work performed by the contractor at her home, posted negative comments on the websites of Yelp and Angie’s List, alleging that the contractor caused damage to her home and that jewelry had gone missing after the contractor performed work at her home. A civil suit is currently pending against the reviewer who posted the negative comments seeking $750,000 in damages for defamation of the contractor.
While this isn’t the first defamation case arising from a negative online review, these lawsuits are fairly uncommon. Although the Communications Decency Act of 1996 protects websites like Yelp and Angie’s List from lawsuits relating to negative reviews posted by their users, the individuals posting such reviews are not immune from liability. In New York, like most other states, a claim for defamation arises when a person makes a false statement resulting in harm to another person’s reputation. Although there are a number of defenses that can prevent a plaintiff from succeeding in recovering damages on a defamation claim, proving that the statement is true is always a defense to such a claim.
Bottom line: Before you hit the “post” button on a negative review, make sure that whatever you post is true!