In December, the Indiana Attorney General sued a small Indiana hotel, alleging that the hotel charged a customer a $350 fee for posting a negative review online. The Indiana AG's office claimed that the use and enforcement of the Abbey Inn's policy that required customers to try to resolve issues with the hotel before posting negative reviews, or pay a fee, was an unfair, abusive, and deceptive practice under Indiana law.
This enforcement action is also a good reminder that restricting customers' ability to share their honest opinions about a business may also violate the federal Consumer Review Fairness Act.
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People have the right to truthfully complain about bad service
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