Homeowner Liable for Craigslist Post Slamming Driveway Contractor
A driveway contractor has won a $2,000 defamation judgment against a Minnesota homeowner whose daughter slammed the business owner on Craigslist.
The post on the “rants & raves” section of Craigslist stems from Kyong Kessler’s legal battle against a contractor she accuses of leaving pockmarks in her driveway and damaging a concrete step, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
The owner of Midwest Concrete Services of Andover, Al Johnson, tells the newspaper he offered to fix the problems, but Kessler sued anyway, seeking the cost of installing a new driveway and sidewalk, the story reports. A judge found that the problems would be easily fixed and awarded Kessler $440.
Kessler appealed and her daughter slammed the company on Craigslist. She accused the contractor of failing to adequately fix his work and called him an “unethical and unlawful” businessman who didn’t have the proper license, the story says. Johnson and two of his companies were fined in 2010, partly for operating without proper licenses.
Johnson and his company were awarded $2,000 for defamation in a default judgment in January. The judge has rejected a motion for a new trial.
Hat tip to Overlawyered.com.
