Google sued for a fake review

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Google sued for a fake review

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Google was successfully sued for defamation because of a fake one star review

In July 2021, Google was successfully sued by a law firm for defamation because of a fake one-star review that Google had refused to remove. Let’s first look at the value of Google My Business and how companies may benefit from the outcome of this court case.

Google My Business (GMB) is an important digital channel for many of our clients. It’s a cost-effective way to promote your organisation to local areas. We actively use GMB to do weekly posts and manage GMB reviews which are also supported with local SEO for GMB.

By writing weekly posts that support brand stories, we can build trust faster and encourage more potential buyers to take action sooner. Through good marketing communications, we can influence more people to enquire (a better ROI).

One of the challenges businesses face with GMB is fake reviews. We respond to all reviews (good and bad) for clients, demonstrating to potential customers and search engines our client’s commitment to customer satisfaction – another trust builder.

Fake reviews (positive or negative) are misleading and can damage the reputation and income of businesses. Businesses and review platforms that do not remove fake reviews risk breaching the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 as well as substantial fines.

In our experience, it has been easier for us to have thousands of GMB reviews removed when it relates to a crisis communication situation than it is to get Google to remove a once-off one-star review.

In July 2021, celebrity criminal law firm Nyst Lawyers successfully sued Google (and Jaimyn Mayer) for defamation over a fake review. Jaimyn Mayer had given Nyst Lawyers a one-star review even though he had never been a firm client.

Nyst Lawyers claimed the review (which did not contain comments) caused damage to their firm and implied they provided poor service and should be avoided. Google has since removed the fake review, and the parties have reached a private settlement.

We see this as a pivotal point in reviews. We expect to see more companies suing Google successfully for fake reviews. Over time, this will influence Google and other review platforms to be more responsive in removing fake reviews. This is a win for both our customers and consumers with more authentic reviews.


Sustainable Marketing Services is an award-winning Brisbane digital marketing agency with a long history of delivering sustainable success for our clients.

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