For five or so years, the business community has hotly debated Ripoff Report’s (ripoffreport.com) removal policy. The consumer review website has earned a reputation among some entrepreneurs for not removing any postings – even defamatory ones.

In the past, people who wanted to challenge claims were welcome to publish rebuttals. But the site has always maintained a strict hands-off policy with regards to redacting posts.

And here’s the important thing to understand: Ripoff Report’s removal position was (and still is) supported by federal and state laws.

Did Ripoff Report Change Its Removal Policy?

Recently, Ripoff Report has made significant changes to its redaction policies. Not: the arbitration program and corporate advocacy programs still exist.

According to a Ripoff Report executive, the consumer review website is still developing a new procedure in which it would voluntarily honor certain court orders, under very specific, limited, circumstances. The executive said the policy change was prompted by “respect for the courts and the judicial process.”

This is a significant change for Ripoff Report. We hope it proves helpful to small business owners.

Ripoff Report Will Not Honor All “Removal” Court Orders

Must Mention Defamation

At the very least, for Ripoff Report to even consider honoring a court order, it must mention which claims or statements are defamatory or libelous. Even then, it’s unlikely that site administrators will remove the whole report.

According to Ripoff Report, the site will give court orders “special prominence” on the relevant pages, and will “redact the information specifically identified as false” under extreme enough circumstances.

We can confirm that Ripoff Report will, indeed, in very limited circumstances, redact content. In fact, we recently obtained a favorable result for a client who was dealing with a defamatory post. But since every case is different, you shouldn’t assume the same results. We recently obtained a favorable result for a client who was dealing with a defamatory post.

Mandatory Court

Ripoff Report’s new removal policy only applies in cases where both sides have presented arguments in court – and the court ruled against the author of the posting. Default judgments probably won’t not be accepted. Still, the change is a step forward for people and businesses that have been defamed on ripoffreport.com.

Speak To A Ripoff Report Removal Lawyer

Is a false posting on Ripoff Report causing your business hardship? The attorneys at Kelly Warner have worked with hundreds of businesses to mitigate the crushing effects of defamatory online consumer reviews. If you’ve been “hit,” contact our ripoffreport.com removal attorneys; they’ll be able to review the specifics of your situation and, depending on the circumstances, may be able to guide you towards an effective outcome. ***

Arrange a consultation with a Ripoff Report Removal Lawyer.