Federal judge tosses Chicago suit over bad online reviews

CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has ruled that a lawyer can’t sue more than a dozen people who posted rude criticism of him and his law firm on Yelp and similar sites that feature online reviews.

The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin reports that Judge Harry Leinenweber tossed the libel suit last week. He concluded that the comments about David Freydin and the Law Offices of David Freydin were opinions and amounted to protected speech.

Freydin alleged the comments were “salacious, false and libelous.” Some were anti-Semitic. The Chicago-area lawyer also noted the reviewers gave him and his firm one-star ratings out of a possible five even though he never worked with them.

The lawsuit names four defendants and refers to 10 others as “John Does.”