Was called "greedy"

Vienna: Law firm sued over Google review

1858 euros for an initial consultation: There was a "sufficient factual substrate" for the Google assessment, the court ruled.(Bild: Sutthiphong - stock.adobe.com)

A Viennese law firm has been dismissed at the Regional Court for Criminal Matters with a lawsuit for defamation and damage to credit against an ex-client who had called them "greedy" in a Google review.

Single judge Stefan Romstorfer classified the review as "borderline" but "still admissible". There was a "sufficient factual basis" on the basis of which the incriminated description "must be permitted", the judge found.

First interview: 1858 euros
The defendant - a businessman - had wanted to use the services of the law firm for the fiduciary handling of a real estate transaction. He was charged 1858 euros for an initial consultation, which seemed quite expensive to the man. "He would have expected clarification as to why it was so expensive," said the man's legal representative on Wednesday afternoon in the Graues Haus.

Instead, he had received an invoice for almost 2,000 euros, which he fought against in civil court and lost the legal dispute. "In response, he wrote the posting in question," admitted the man's defence lawyer and emphasized that the word "greedy" in this context was covered by freedom of expression and the "public's need for information".

A lawyer for the law firm in question strongly disagreed with this view. On the contrary, the Google review constituted a "concrete threat" and a potential customer had already bailed out with reference to the negative review. Others could follow. The law firm therefore does not want to accept the criminal law defeat in the first instance. Its representative announced an appeal against the dismissal of the complaint, which - should the complaint be upheld - would have to be dealt with by the Vienna Higher Regional Court (OLG).