Posted on Monday, November 20th, 2017.
Jim Prusinowski, on November 6, 2017, presented the issue of what modifications are required to cause an internet posting to become a republication for purposes of bringing and maintaining a defamation claim. In other words, when an internet blogger revises a defamatory post, what amount of changes are necessary to constitutes a new claim with its own statute of limitations. This is the first time this issue has been presented to any state high court. While other bases for republication have been raised and addressed, specifically what amount of modification to the original internet posting is necessary to constitute republication is and remains an open issue throughout the nation. It is likely that regardless of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s ultimate decision, this case will be the leading case for all other courts throughout the country on the republication issue.
The case arose based upon a wrongful termination lawsuit being reported on an internet blog. The Plaintiff maintains that the internet blog failed to properly report on the claims in the initial complaint and the blog constitutes defamation. This type of defamation – written words on the internet – is libel, while spoken defamatory statements are slander.
A business’s reputation is of paramount importance. Anyone with a computer and internet connection can post negative information about a business on many different websites which encourage feedback regarding experiences with the business. Former employees may be especially prone to posting negative information on the internet regarding a company. These postings, if they set forth false statements of fact, may constitute defamation for which legal action is required to have removed from the internet. Protecting the company’s reputation by ensuring that false negative posts stop being available on the internet can be crucial for a business.
Through handling cases in which employees and former employees post false and inaccurate information on sites such as RipOffReports.com, GlassDoor.com and other sites, Jim has become one of the top defamation attorneys in New Jersey continuing to represent businesses and all of the issues that may arise based upon employee activities.
If your business has false negative information regarding it posted on the internet which you seek to have removed, you may need an experienced attorney to assist in reviewing the information and determine what can be done to have it removed and restore the business’s reputation.
