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Negative review of law firm results in £25,000 libel damages
Eek ....
A disgruntled client who posted unsubstantiated defamatory claims about a law firm on a review website has been ordered to pay £25,000 in damages.
Giving summary judgment in Summerfield Browne Ltd v Waymouth, Master David Cook said that a ‘substantial’ number of clients were put off after Philip James Waymouth wrote on the Trustpilot website that his experience had been ‘A total waste of money another scam solicitor’ [sic].
The national firm brought proceedings for libel and sought general damages limited to £25,000 and special damages of £300 per day to cover the drop-off in work. The firm also asked for an order to remove the defamatory words from Trustpilot.
Reporting:
https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/disgruntled-client-ordered-to-pay-25000-damages-for-libellous-review/5107081.article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55981600
Judgment: https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2021/85.html
Aaand…. there are now hundreds of bad reviews of them on Trustpilot, just from the past few hours.
Is any publicity good publicity?
Not sure it speaks volumes about the good judgement of a law firm if they fail to appreciate the possible consequences of their actions in an online community.
If they had anticipated this kind of negative pushback - what does that say about the grounds for the judgement?
...or they could sue all the new bad reviewers as well?
...or they could sue all the new bad reviewers as well?
One of the reviewers is named ‘Benjamin Button’...
Fake identities aside - most of the current negative reviews could be argued to be legitimate, as they criticise the behaviour of the firm, rather than the quality of their work.
Update:
The review site at the centre of a high-profile libel claim by a law firm has vowed to challenge attempts to take any comment down.
Denmark-based Trustpilot said the judgment in Summerfield Browne v Waymouth contained a number of errors and raised ‘significant concerns’ around freedom of speech.
Lessons to be learnt:
1. Don’t call someone’s business a “scam” online unless you can actually back it up (or you want to lose your shirt).
2. If someone does call your business a “scam” online, it probably isn’t worth suing them over it (unless you want to get bombarded with meme reviews).
Does this mean I need to take my Hotel Chocolat reviews down? 😊
It serves him damn right!