Nine companies have joined the proposed class-action lawsuit against Yelp, the San Francisco-based Internet giant, attorneys in Miami and California announced yesterday morning.
The
new plaintiffs are located everywhere from Tujunga, California, to
Washington, D.C. They include businesses ranging from a sofa outlet to
a bakery to the heart of Yelp's business, several restaurants.
All allege that Yelp,
a Web site that purports to offer public reviews of all kinds of
concerns, engaged in extortion by attempting to sell them ads and
offering to erase bad reviews in exchange. In some cases, negative
reviews were even added -- and strong-arm techniques were employed, the
plaintiffs say.
"Since filing the complaint we have been
inundated with calls and e-mails from small businesses around the
country," says Jared Beck, the Miami attorney representing the
plaintiffs. 'Many of them asked us what they can do to actively stand
up and join the fight against Yelp."
The
original case was filed by a California veterinarian, Gregory Perrault,
against Yelp. His attorneys believe the company bullies patrons using
not only a paid advertising staff, but an "elite' group of free
reviewers.
Among the new plaintiffs in the case are Astro
Appliance Service of San Carlos, California, Le Petite Retreat of Los
Angeles, Scion Restaurant of Washington D.C., and Bleeding Heart Bakery
of Chicago.
The company has hired attorneys, Michael Rhodes and
Sarah Boot, to defend itself. Yelp acknowledges that in some cases, bad
reviews have been removed from the Web site by an "algorithm." The
company, they say, offers a great public service by bypassing
conventional reviewers.
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