An Ohio family-owned business is suing a woman for more than $25,000 over a one-star Google review she posted — even though the company admits she has never been a customer.
Starr Manufacturing Inc., an industrial equipment manufacturer in Vienna Township, filed a defamation lawsuit against Columbus resident Julie Watson on Aug. 12, according to a legal complaint obtained by PEOPLE.
The company claims Watson’s review contained “false and malicious” statements that caused “significant reputational harm” to its business. She allegedly claimed the company “had various quality and manufacturing failures with multiple customers” and said she could provide names and addresses of others who could confirm the issues.
Starr Manufacturing is seeking more than $25,000 in damages, along with court costs and attorney fees.
The “Personal Vendetta” Claim
In a statement to PEOPLE, Thomas Nader, the attorney representing Starr Manufacturing, said Watson has never been a customer of the company. He claims the negative review was the result of a “personal vendetta” relating to Watson and an employee of the company.
“The defendant is not a customer of Starr Manufacturing and has never been a customer of Starr Manufacturing,” Nader told PEOPLE.
“This was the result of a personal relationship between the defendant and an employee of Starr Manufacturing,” he continued. “[This lawsuit] is not about Starr Manufacturing being upset about a bad review from a customer. This is a personal vendetta”.
The Review Context
Starr Manufacturing has a total of 13 Google reviews at this time. Watson has left a handful of Google reviews over the past seven years, with all but the Starr Manufacturing review being five stars.
The company expressed concern that Watson will “continue to post and/or publish the false and malicious allegations” against them if she is not stopped by a court of law.
The Bottom Line
Starr Manufacturing, an Ohio-based industrial equipment company, is suing Columbus resident Julie Watson for defamation over a one-star Google review. The company claims the review contained false allegations about manufacturing issues and seeks more than $25,000 in damages. The company’s attorney says Watson has never been a customer and that the review stems from a “personal vendetta” involving a company employee.
