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New Yorkers post hundreds of Google reviews every day.  A downstate couple who posted an unfavorable review of an orthodontist after the dentist treated the couple’s child were sued by the orthodontist for defamation.  A claim for defamation requires proof that the defendant made a false statement;  and a defamation claim can be defeated by showing the statement was an opinion and/or criticism (which are generally protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. [...]

During both criminal and civil jury trials in New York courtrooms, the presiding judge instructs jurors (usually multiple times a day) not to conduct any research about the case they’re hearing.  That’s because a jury is supposed to decide a case based only on the evidence they see and hear during trial, and the judge’s instructions about the law and how to apply it to the evidence.  But the message didn’t get through to a New Jersey man; at a cost he might not [...]