// Netherlands · Review removal
Court bans revenge reviews against judicial expert
Rechtbank Oost-Brabant ·
ECLI:NL:RBOBR:2020:2626
The case
Court prohibits defendants from posting negative Google reviews about a judicial expert after a lounge furniture dispute. The reviews contained factual inaccuracies and were solely intended to damage the expert's reputation.
What the court considered
- 01Reviews contained factually incorrect statements about travel costs and expert's methodology
- 02Reviews were solely intended to damage reputation, not to inform other consumers
- 03Use of fake profiles and repeated posting of reviews indicates bad faith
What this means in practice
Bedrijven en professionals kunnen aantoonbaar valse en kwaadwillige beoordelingen succesvol aanvechten, vooral wanneer deze onder nepprofielen worden geplaatst of worden ingegeven door wraak in plaats van echte consumentenervaring. Deze zaak stelt duidelijke grenzen vast tussen legitieme en kwaadwillige online beoordelingen, met name ter bescherming van gerechtelijk benoemde deskundigen tegen vergelding.
Legal basis
- Art. 6:162 BW
Related rulings
- Car dealer's demand to remove Google Maps reviews rejected by courtNetherlands · 7 January 2026
- Supreme Court rejects Digital Revolution's appeal against Google over unlawful reviewsNetherlands · 7 November 2025
- Debt collector loses bid to remove negative Google reviews over opinion statementsNetherlands · 31 October 2025
- Law firm's bid to remove negative Google reviews rejected by courtNetherlands · 15 September 2025
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