Starr Manufacturing is seeking more than $25,000 in a defamation lawsuit against an Ohio woman over a one-star Google review that the company claims contained false allegations about its manufacturing and quality record.
The family-owned industrial equipment maker, based in Vienna, sued Columbus resident Julie Watson in Trumbull County Common Pleas Court over a review she posted in March to the company's Google Business Profile.
Watson's review accused Starr of quality control problems tied to subcontractors and claimed work at multiple well pad sites required corrections, including problems with bolts and fasteners that were improperly connected or insufficiently tightened. She also stated that she could provide names and locations of other people who could confirm recent production and quality failures.
Thomas Nader, an attorney representing Starr, said Watson has never been a customer of the company. Starr claims the review grew out of a personal relationship between Watson and one of its employees. Nader has described the post as a "personal vendetta."
Starr alleges the statements were false and caused significant reputational and financial harm. The company is pursuing claims for defamation, defamation per se, and defamation by implication, each addressing a different way allegedly false statements can damage a person or business.
Under Ohio law, a defamation claim generally requires a false statement of fact that is communicated to another person, causes harm, and...
Starr Manufacturing is seeking more than $25,000 in a defamation lawsuit against an Ohio woman over a one-star Google review that the company claims contained false allegations about its manufactu...