The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear an appeal by Yelp that will determine how negative reviews are treated.
The case stems from negative reviews a San Francisco lawyer received from a former client. The lawyer argues that the posts contain defamatory, not just negative, content. Lower courts agreed that the posts in question were defamatory and ordered Yelp to remove them. Yelp is seeking a reversal of that decision.
Yelp maintains that the order to remove the posts violates a 1996 federal law that was previously interpreted as not holding internet companies liable for third-party posts. Yelp, and other internet companies, worry that the ruling as it stands will allow businesses to remove legitimate negative reviews.
The California Supreme Court will issue its ruling in about a year.