Gang lawyer sues Google in an attempt to unmask an anonymous reviewer who criticised her in a scathing post
- Barrister Zarah Grade-Wilson, 42, filed a lawsuit against Google on Monday
- Ms Grade-Wilson wants the tech giant to reveal the identity of a reviewer
- A review written under the name Mohamed Ahmed was critical of her firm
- In response, Ms Grade-Wilson said she ‘has never acted for Mohamed Ahmed’
- In a similar case, a scathing Google review was left about a Melbourne dentist
- The Federal Court ordered Google to reveal the identity of the reviewer last week
A Melbourne gangland lawyer is suing tech giant Google to reveal the identity of an anonymous reviewer who criticised her online.
Barrister and solicitor Zarah Garde-Wilson, 42, believes the review was written by an a competitor and filed a lawsuit against Google in the Federal Court on Monday.
The review in question was written under the name Mohamed Ahmed and was posted to the Google page of Garde Wilson Criminal Lawyers two weeks ago.
‘My practice has never acted for a Mohamed Ahmed and we have forwarded this review to the Google investigations team to be removed,’ Ms Garde-Wilson replied, according to ABC News.
Barrister and solicitor Zarah Garde-Wilson, 42, filed a lawsuit against Google in the Federal Court on Monday. Ms Garde-Wilson wants the tech giant to reveal the identity of an anonymous reviewer who criticised her online
Google was recently ordered to reveal the identity of user ‘CBsm 23’, who left a negative review on a Melbourne dentist’s business page. Now that there is a legal precedent, Mr Garde-Wilson is also looking to identify her own ‘ghost reviewer’
Ms Garde-Wilson requested for Google to remove the review but it was not deleted for two weeks until she filed her lawsuit on Monday.
Lawyer Mark Stanarevic, from Matrix Legal, successfully sued Google on behalf of dentist Matthew Kabbabe last week and has now taken on Ms Garde-Wilson’s case.
Mr Kabbabe’s dental clinic received a negative review from Google user ‘CBsm 23’, which he said negatively impacted his business.
Federal Court Judge ordered Google to identify ‘CBsm 23’ by releasing information such as their name, phone number, IP address and location metadata.
Now that there is a legal precedent, Mr Garde-Wilson is also looking to identify her own ‘ghost reviewer’ in hopes that she can identify and sue them.
‘It is upsetting she has to go through this process as well, like many other small business owners in Australia,’ Mr Stanarevic told ABC News.
‘Google keeps earning millions a week in AdWords from the Australian public.’
Ms Garde-Wilson currently holds a 4.2 star rating on Google with only two one-star reviews and Ms Garde-Wilson often responds to them, good or bad
One reviewer under the name ‘Google User’ gave a one star rating with no explanation 10 months ago. Ms Garde-Wilson labelled them a ‘ghost reviewer’ in her response
Ms Garde-Wilson currently holds a 4.2 star rating on Google with only two one-star reviews and Ms Garde-Wilson often responds to them, good or bad.
One reviewer under the name ‘Google User’ gave a one star rating with no explanation 10 months ago.
‘Another ghost reviewer who isn’t a client of our practice,’ Ms Garde-Wilson responded.
The seasoned solicitor represented convicted drug lord Tony Mokbel and dead gangster Carl Williams during Melbourne’s gangland killings.
She was portrayed by Kestie Morassi in true crime series Underbelly.
Ms Garde-Wilson (pictured) is being represented by lawyer Mark Stanarevic, from Matrix Legal, who successfully sued Google on behalf of dentist Matthew Kabbabe last week