B.C. lawyer awarded $1 in suit against client who posted negative online review
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia lawyer has been awarded $1 in damages after suing a former client for posting a negative review online, raising questions about the balance between free expression and defamation.
Vancouver lawyer Kyla Lee and her firm, Acumen Law Corp., claimed at trial that a Google Plus review calling her the “worstest lawyer” led to a decline in client calls.
“I spent nearly $2,000 for kyla lee to lose a case for me that they seemed they didn’t put any effort into. Anywhere else would be moore helpful. worstest lawyer. would not recommend,” the one-star review says.
The reviewer, Hoan Nguyen, did not respond to the civil claim nor did he appear at the B.C. Supreme Court trial, which meant the plaintiffs would be awarded damages by default.