Overlawyered: Chronicling The High Cost Of Our Legal System

“Sued for ‘OK’ eBay feedback”

Steve Shellhorn didn’t leave negative feedback after a not entirely satisfactory transaction on the online auction site, but “neutral” feedback can harm reputation too, according to the seller’s suit. Although a judge in the plaintiff’s Buncombe County, N.C. home court threw out the action, “It cost Shellhorn $500 to hire an attorney. ‘I’m very leery. […]

Steve Shellhorn didn’t leave negative feedback after a not entirely satisfactory transaction on the online auction site, but “neutral” feedback can harm reputation too, according to the seller’s suit. Although a judge in the plaintiff’s Buncombe County, N.C. home court threw out the action, “It cost Shellhorn $500 to hire an attorney. ‘I’m very leery. I won’t leave feedback for people anymore,’ he said.” (Jesse Jones, KING5 News (Seattle), Apr. 24).

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3 Comments

  • Why would the plaintiff not have to pay his fees?

  • I see that the plaintiff is a sex offender — whose name is carefully kept out of the article.

    Heaven forfend that we deter sex offenders everywhere from filing frivolous lawsuits. Think of the rights of consumers!

    • By Ken

  • Joe, that’s the sometimes rotten deal with our lack of “loser pays” system. Yeah, the defendant is stuck with his attorney’s fee.

    Also if you click on the link to the TV video news story they say near the clip’s end that the plaintiff is a wanted sex offender in North Carolina.