Better think twice before you slam a business with a bad review on Yelp – one Virginia woman is being sued for it.
Jane Perez was slapped with a $750,000 lawsuit by Dietz Development after she publicly logged complaints about construction work the building contractor performed on her home.
In her write-ups on the popular business review sites Yelp and Angie’s List, Perez accused the company of damaging her house, trespassing and stealing jewelry.
‘Bottom line,’ she wrote on Angie’s List. ‘Do not put yourself through this nightmare of a contractor.’
Perez is only the latest online critic to find herself in court over negative comments post online.
In 2009, a San Francisco man was sued by a chiropractor after he posted a Yelp review accusing the business of charging him more than the agreed-upon price. That suit was settle out of court.
A Chicago plastic surgeon sued three women in 2010 who accused him of giving them disfigured and misshapen breasts after surgery.
In September, a Pilates studio in Virginia sued two yelp reviewers who complained that the business smelled like mildew and that the staff was unfriendly.
Free speech advocates say businesses are increasingly resorting to legal action to retaliate against negative reviews of their businesses.
Christopher Dietz, the owner of Dietz Development, said he had no choice but to file the lawsuit after lost $300,00 when customers fled his business, reports