A 1-Star Google Review Landed Her in Court. The Company Suing Her Says She Wasn’t a Customer
The complaint is seeking damages exceeding $25,000, as well as attorney fees and litigation costs.
A one-star Google review of an Ohio manufacturing company has landed its author in court.
“This company’s work has faced a host of quality control issues lately, owing to contracting with shoddy subs, resulting in time-consuming field updates required on multiple well pad sites to fix issues like bolts and fasteners, being connected, improperly or not screwed down tightly enough, and lack of oversight to identify where the breach is even occurred with the subs,” the review by Julie Watson read.
She added that she could provide locations and people who could confirm what she described as recent production and quality failures. “Would recommend doing business anywhere and with anyone else,” she wrote.
These specific statements—not the one-star rating itself—are what’s
These specific statements—not the one-star rating itself—are what’s at the center of the lawsuit.
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In August, Starr Manufacturing, a Vienna, Ohio-based industrial equipment manufacturer, filed a lawsuit against Columbus resident Julie Watson in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court, alleging the statements she made about its manufacturing work in a Google review posted earlier this year were false.
The Tribune Chronicle reported that the lawsuit includes claims for defamation, defamation per se, and defamation by implication. Starr is asking the court for actual and compensatory damages, punitive damages, attorney fees, and litigation costs. The complaint seeks damages exceeding $25,000, the precise amount of which to be determined.
In a statement to Inc., Starr Manufacturing declined to discuss the specifics of its pending case, but said the lawsuit is not against a former customer. “This defendant posted this Google review after the end of a personal relationship with an employee of Starr,” the company said. “The defendant was not a customer, supplier, or vendor of Starr.”
Source: www.inc.com
