Trustpilot relies on people being able to give honest opinions about businesses and their services without fear of serious consequences, so this case is extremely worrying. London law firm Summerfield Browne sued a man over a negative Trustpilot review, and he has now been ordered to pay PS25,000 in libel damages. The client, Philip James Waymouth, had engaged with the firm online to get legal advice and was unsatisfied with their service. He claimed that the firm were just another scam solicitors and wrote a bad review, which the High Court found was false and defamatory.
It's not OK for businesses to sue customers over negative reviews, so this is a very dangerous precedent. But how do you know if an unfavorable review is fair game for litigation?
