An Ohio-based manufacturer of oil and gas process equipment has filed a lawsuit against a woman over a one-star Google review, the Tribune Chronicle reported. In the complaint, Starr Manufacturing alleges that the comments made by Julie Watson contained false statements that caused the company special damages and reputational harm.
Watson’s review from six months ago said the company had faced “a host of quality control issues” after “contracting with shoddy subs,” which led to “time-consuming field updates” to fix improperly connected bolts and fasteners. She also claimed a “lack of oversight to identify where the breaches occurred” and said she could provide locations and names of people who could confirm the alleged “production and quality failures.”
According to the Tribune Chronicle, Starr Manufacturing’s complaint argues that Watson "falsely and maliciously” claimed the company experienced such failures involving multiple customers. The lawsuit alleges defamation and defamation per se, as well as defamation by implication.
In response to the review, Thomas Nader, an attorney representing Starr Manufacturing, told IEN that, “The defendant posted this Google review after the end of a personal relationship with an employee of Starr. The defendant was not a customer, supplier or vendor of Starr.”
The company will seek more than $25,000 in damages, plus attorney fees and litigation costs.
Starr Manufacturing’s website states that it is a family-owned business founded in 1965 and based in Warren, Ohio. It supports several industries, including oil and gas, material handling and machine and equipment manufacturers.
