Plantation Lawyer Wins Libel Case Over Bad Internet Reviews

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FT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/NSF) - A Plantation attorney who said she was libeled in reviews posted on the Internet should receive $350,000 in punitive damages.

That's the decision of a South Florida appeals court. A three-judge panel of the 4th District Court of Appeal sided with attorney Ann-Marie Giustibelli in a dispute that stemmed from her representation of Copia Blake in a divorce case against Peter Birzon.

After a "breakdown in the attorney-client relationship," Blake and Birzon posted highly critical reviews of Giustibelli on the Internet that included misrepresentations about fees charged by Giustibelli.

The attorney filed a lawsuit in Broward County and was awarded $350,000 in punitive damages.

The appeals court said Blake and Birzon argued that the Internet reviews were statements of opinion and were protected by the First Amendment. But in upholding the award, a three-judge panel of the appeals court said, in part, that "all the reviews contained allegations that Giustibelli lied to Blake regarding the attorney's fee. Two of the reviews contained the allegation that Giustibelli falsified a contract. These are factual allegations, and the evidence showed they were false."

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.