Judge Tosses Out Extortion Lawsuit Against Yelp
A federal judge has dismissed a class action lawsuit that accused Yelp of extortion.
But Judge Marilyn Hall Patel is giving plaintiffs a month to refile their complaint.
Patel ruled that the original suit failed to back up claims from small business owners that the consumer review website was manipulating user reviews to force them to advertise on the site.
Plaintiffs had claimed that negative reviews reappeared after they refused to buy advertising.
Yelp denied the claims and said the business owners misunderstood how the site works. The company said the site automatically filters reviews that appear untrustworthy.
