Legal Question in Entertainment Law in Massachusetts

being sued for writing a bad review

On IMDB I wrote an honest but harsh review about a friend's amateur film. He even agreed with the comments I made. He is now claiming I've been loading the site with bad reviews on a daily basis and intends to sue me. Is this even posible? I know of people who have been broken just by having to appear in court for cases that get thrown out. I am a filmmaker myself and barely make enough in my day job to keep my appartment.


Asked on 5/29/08, 8:36 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Re: being sued for writing a bad review

It was one thing to "publish a review" it is another to make continual negative reviews on his web site. However, if he is operating a blog or comment element to his site, then he has a more difficult time sustaining a lawsuit.

Yes, he can sue. He needs a good faith basis for the lawsuit. I suggest you contact a local attorney who has some experience in defamation and slander cases and internet publishing. You can call your county bar association, Mass Bar Association or the Boston Bar Associatioin. They have programs as well for reduced rate work for attorneys.

If you have a specific question, please feel free to contact me.

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Answered on 5/29/08, 10:53 am


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