On July 2, the California Supreme Court issued a ruling that could have major implications for California businesses. In Hassell v. Bird, the court upheld First Amendment protection for online publications, ruling (4-3) that Yelp could not be ordered to take down a defamatory review.
The case involved a negative review posted by Ava Bird on California attorney Dawn Haskell’s Yelp profile. Haskell sued Bird — her former client who posted the review — and won by default judgment when Bird failed to appear in court.
