Story and complaint at Tech Dirt. (h/t: Mark Lemley, whose firm represents Yelp in the suit) Excerpts of the allegations:
1. Every day, millions of people use online reviews to help them make purchasing decisions,
whether for doctors, lawyers, pizza parlors, or dog walkers. Online reviews are a great resource for
consumers to learn about local businesses and professionals. Unfortunately, however, some businesses
try to game the system by stacking the deck in their favor with planted or fake reviews. The McMillan
Law Group--run by Julian McMil1an--is one such business.
2. Yelp owns and operates popular websites that feature information about local
businesses nationwide and around the world, and that include ratings, reviews, photos, and more. Ye1p's
U.S. website, which is located at and equivalent international websites, such as
(collectively, the "Yelp Site"), averaged 102 million unique visitors between
January and March 2013, and users have posted over 39 million reviews to them.
3. Deceptive or fake reviews are harmful to consumers. Regulators have taken strong action
against those behind deceptive online testimonials, while academics and the media have also focused on
the problems of spurious online reviews. Yelp prohibits deceptive and fake reviews through its Terms of
Service, and has developed sophisticated technologies to detect and remove such content. Yelp also
aggressively investigates businesses that post or purchase fake reviews, and works diligently to warn
consumers about them.
4. The McMillan Law Group, a San Diego law firm specializing in bankruptcy, exemplifies
the behavior that Yelp combats daily through its algorithms and investigations--the planting of fake
reviews intended to sway potential clients with false testimonials. The McMillan Law Group's efforts to
mislead consumers are particularly brazen and disappointing given they have targeted some of the most
vulnerable consumers of all--individuals who may be facing bankruptcy and who are looking for
potential legal representation.