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ARTICLE · 06 MARCH 2017

How To Disparage But Not Defame Your Wedding Planner

Foley Hoag LLP
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It's March, which means that wedding season is nearly upon us.

United StatesLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Foley Hoag LLP
Foley Hoag LLP
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It's March, which means that wedding season is nearly upon us. Let's say you run your own wedding-related business with one employee: you. A customer gives you a review on the internet that is not only negative, but contains false statements. Who is harmed by this false review: you, your business or both? And if you want to sue the former customer, what is your cause of action? Defamation, trade libel, false light invasion of privacy . . . all of the above? Does it matter?

Yes, it matters. In Gillon v. Bernstein, District of New Jersey Judge William Martini deftly pared down a messy seven-count complaint alleging reputational harm and, in doing so, let us know how to disparage – but not defame – our wedding planner.

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