Company threatening to sue for bad review

[DaniP1128]

What is the name of your state? FL
I had a terrible experience with a wedding planning company so I posted a negative review about my experience. The company’s owner sent me an email saying that if I don’t “update” my review, they will sue for defamation and false information. I didn’t post any false information. Should I just remove the review to avoid any potential legal fees or are they just blowing steam in hopes that I comply and remove the review? I stand by every word I said and avoided any slanderous vocabulary. What should I do?

 

[Just Blue]

What is the name of your state? FL
I had a terrible experience with a wedding planning company so I posted a negative review about my experience. The company’s owner sent me an email saying that if I don’t “update” my review, they will sue for defamation and false information. I didn’t post any false information. Should I just remove the review to avoid any potential legal fees or are they just blowing steam in hopes that I comply and remove the review? I stand by every word I said and avoided any slanderous vocabulary. What should I do?

They could sue (in the US, anyone can sue anybody for anything)...Your defense is you're telling the truth. If you stand by what you posted, and what you posted is the truth (with proof to back it up), feel free to leave it posted.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'd add to @Just Blue post, ... If you are prepared to spend the money and time in a lawsuit and the possibility that you will lose the lawsuit.

 

[Just Blue]

I'd add toe @Just Blue post, ... If you are prepared to spend the money and time in a lawsuit and the possibility that you will lose the lawsuit.

Just a "toe"? ...not the whole foot?

 

[Zigner]

I'm going to comment on the other side of the coin:

It's easy (and cheap) to threaten to sue. It's harder (and much costlier) to actually sue.

 

[Just Blue]

The Wedding venue could sue in SCC. Neither side will need an attorney and it would be inexpensive to file.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

Just a "toe"? ...not the whole foot?

Yep just sticking in the water to see how cold it is.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

I'm going to comment on the other side of the coin:

It's easy (and cheap) to threaten to sue. It's harder (and much costlier) to actually sue.

Very true, so DaniP, if you are going to stand by the review and not take it down don't show any fear to the company. And make it clear in any response something along the lines of "Great, my bad review will be seen by more people when I make sure the press gets ahold of this story."

 

[Zigner]

The Wedding venue could sue in SCC. Neither side will need an attorney and it would be inexpensive to file.

Yes, but expensive to win, if at all...and considering there is a $5k limit in FL SCC, it hardly seems worth it.

 

[Just Blue]

Yes, but expensive to win, if at all...and considering there is a $5k limit in FL SCC, it hardly seems worth it.

It's the principle that count's, doncha know.

 

[quincy]

What is the name of your state? FL
I had a terrible experience with a wedding planning company so I posted a negative review about my experience. The company’s owner sent me an email saying that if I don’t “update” my review, they will sue for defamation and false information. I didn’t post any false information. Should I just remove the review to avoid any potential legal fees or are they just blowing steam in hopes that I comply and remove the review? I stand by every word I said and avoided any slanderous vocabulary. What should I do?

Certainly removing the review is the easiest and legally safest action to take.

Negative reviews written by disgruntled consumers are often not as “true” as the consumer believes them to be. Consumer reviews often stray from commenting on the facts of their one personal experience and will include embellishments, exaggerations or generalizations. False conclusions might be drawn about the company as a whole that cannot be fairly drawn from a single bad experience. The use of “never” or “always” is a good indication that the review is not 100% true or pure opinion.

If you want to keep your review in place, you might at least have a defamation attorney take a look at it to give you an idea of the risk you face in doing so. Company reputations are valuable. Negative reviews have been shown in studies to affect a company’s profits so a company may be more inclined than not to fight a consumer over a negative review that contains provable falsehoods.

 

[LdiJ]

What is the name of your state? FL
I had a terrible experience with a wedding planning company so I posted a negative review about my experience. The company’s owner sent me an email saying that if I don’t “update” my review, they will sue for defamation and false information. I didn’t post any false information. Should I just remove the review to avoid any potential legal fees or are they just blowing steam in hopes that I comply and remove the review? I stand by every word I said and avoided any slanderous vocabulary. What should I do?

My advice, assuming that you didn't exaggerate, get emotional or misstate any facts is to stand by your review. Bad companies will routinely threaten people who give negative reviews. Good companies generally won't do that.

 

[quincy]

My advice, assuming that you didn't exaggerate, get emotional or misstate any facts is to stand by your review. Bad companies will routinely threaten people who give negative reviews. Good companies generally won't do that.

Your source of information?

 

[Just Blue]

Your source of information?

 

[quincy]

What is a bit amusing to me is that a "good" company (in business 28 years) in Michigan is currently suing a woman for defamation over a negative Yelp review. A hearing is scheduled for November 12.

Lawsuits filed over negative reviews are not unusual suits. In states with anti-SLAPP statutes, some of these suits can be dismissed quickly if they are found to have no merit. In other states, the costs of defending against (and especially of losing) a defamation suit can be extremely high. And another downside to losing a defamation suit is that damages awarded to the plaintiff in an intentional tort action are not dischargeable by the defendant in bankruptcy.

I probably could present a pretty good argument that “good” companies are more likely to sue for defamation (or threaten to) because they have more to lose with the publication of a defamatory review. A bad company’s reputation is harder to harm if it is already known as a bad company.