In two separate New Jersey cases, building contractors RSA Enterprises and WBG Builders are suing websites that carried consumer complaints about them; in a third case in Maryland, a suit by SCS Contracting Group names as defendant the well-known site Angie’s List, which compiles user reviews of home-improvement services. (Truman Lewis, ConsumerAffairs.com, May 4). More: John Kelly, “Homeowner’s Web Gripe Draws Contractor Lawsuit”, Washington Post, Mar. 13 (SCS Contracting versus Angie’s List); Eric Goldman, Apr. 25 (RSA Enterprises versus Rip-Off Report, and Google). P.S. Eric Goldman adds further details.
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Just a random thought here, but what about the total abolition of defamation as a cause of action? Where would that leave us? Short of that, what kinds of curtailment would be good idea? Because I’m thinking that defamation is so infrequently related to measurable damages and serves most often as a way to shut people up. Now, the Internet has caused an explosion in the cause of action possibilities.