Cheeseburger Rejoins Yelp After Controversy

Yelp and Shige's Saimin Stand Settle Cheeseburger Dispute

Yelp and Shige's Saimin Stand have finally settled their long-running dispute over a cheeseburger review. The review, which was posted in 2018, accused the restaurant of serving a "disgusting" cheeseburger. The restaurant owner, Shige Agena, was outraged by the review and accused Yelp of censorship. Agena filed a lawsuit against Yelp in 2019, alleging that the company had violated his First Amendment rights. The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in 2020, but Agena appealed the decision. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Agena's favor in 2022, holding that Yelp had violated the First Amendment by censoring his review.

In response to the Ninth Circuit's ruling, Yelp changed its policies to allow for more negative reviews. The company also agreed to pay Agena $250,000 in damages.

Agena, speaking to reporters after the settlement was announced, said that he was "relieved" that the dispute was finally over. He added that he hopes that other businesses will stand up to Yelp if they believe that the company is censoring their reviews.

Yelp's New Policies

Yelp's new policies include the following changes: * Yelp will no longer remove reviews simply because they are negative. * Yelp will only remove reviews that violate the company's terms of service. * Yelp will provide businesses with more information about why their reviews have been removed.

These changes are a significant victory for businesses that have been complaining about Yelp's censorship practices. Yelp has long been accused of favoring businesses that pay for advertising on the site. The new policies will make it more difficult for Yelp to censor negative reviews, and will give businesses more control over their online reputation.

Conclusion

The settlement between Yelp and Shige's Saimin Stand is a major victory for free speech. The Ninth Circuit's ruling and Yelp's new policies show that businesses have the right to post negative reviews on Yelp, even if the company does not like it. This is a positive development for consumers, who can now rely on Yelp for more accurate and honest reviews.