Man Risks Spending Over Two Years in Prison for Posting Negative Restaurant Reviews Online

A UK man was recently arrested in Thailand for allegedly causing damage to a Phuket restaurant by posting a number of 1-star reviews online following an altercation with the restaurant owner.

The 21-year-old British national was arrested in Thailand earlier this month when police showed up at his apartment in Bangkok, but the incident that led to his arrest dates back to 2022 when he was staying in a rented property in Phuket. According to Thai media, the easiest way for the man, known only as Alexander, to reach his abode passed through an Italian restaurant and he didn’t hesitate to use it. Noticing that the man passed through his restaurant several times per day, the owner confronted him and asked that he use the public road instead because he wasn’t a paying customer and he was disturbing his guests. Shortly after the heated exchange, the restaurant owner noticed that the Google rating of his business had dropped from 4.8/5 to 3.1/5 because of a number of allegedly fake 1-star reviews. Suspecting Alexander was behind this online defamation campaign, he filed a complaint against him.

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Doctor Sues Patient for $1 Million Over 1-Star Online Reviews

A New York woman who posted some not so favorable online reviews of a Manhattan gynecologist she visited last year has been forced to spend close to $20,000 to defend herself in a $1 million defamation suit filed by the doctor.

When Michelle Levine decided to share her negative experience regarding an annual checkup performed by Dr. Joon Song of New York Robotic Gynecology & Women’s Health, she never imagine that she would end up spending tens of thousands of dollars defending herself in court. The woman claims that she was just expressing her opinion about the service she received and trying to help others by sharing her negative experience so they wouldn’t go through the same thing. Dr. Song’s lawyers have a different view, though – they consider the reviews defamation, and are seeking $1 million from Levine.

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