Consultation For Your Reputation

Houston Atty Pursuing Suit Over Negative Google Reviews

On Behalf of | Jan 11, 2023 | Firm News

By Catherine Marfin
Law360 (December 7, 2022, 6:02 PM EST) — A Houston family lawyer asked a district judge Tuesday for permission to conduct expedited discovery ahead of a potential lawsuit against those who left her negative reviews on Google.

Sherri Evans, managing partner of KoonsFuller Family Law’s Houston office, wrote in the petition that she did careful research on the office’s clients “in an abundance of caution” and didn’t find any clients with the same first or last names as the six reviewers at any of the firm’s five Texas offices.

Evans also wrote that the negative reviews were related to the firm’s Dallas, Denton, Southlake and Plano offices, where she does not perform any work.

“Petitioner argues this is possibly a disgruntled partner,” Evans wrote. “It is also possible that the reviews were placed by another family practitioner to obtain business. Either way the reviews are damaging to the Petitioner’s reputation by essentially calling her a thief.”

The petition included a copy of each of the six reviews, which were all placed by users of different names within the last month. None of the users have left other reviews and all contain a similar writing style, Evans wrote.

Each review is a paragraph long and accuses Evans of various transgressions, including overcharging clients, refusing to return emails and phone calls and backing out of a case before it was resolved.

“I thought my ex was the most awful human on the planet until I committed the horrible error of picking Sherri Evans to address me,” one review left by an account named “A Google User” said. “She made it as costly and agonizing as could really be expected.”

Another user by the name of Jose Johnson accused Evans of lying under oath.

“Not entirely sure where this woman went to law school … But I would recommend that she go back and actually read at least one of the books this time,” the review read. “Her whole strategy is to bully … Sherri Evans is trash you’ve been warned.”

Evans wrote that she is “subject to an investigation and possible disciplinary action” as a result of the reviews.

The petition includes a request that Google produce all documents and information related to the six users.

Paul M. Sternberg, an attorney representing Evans, declined to comment.

Evans is represented by Paul M. Sternberg of the Sternberg Law Firm.

The case is In Re: Petition of Sherri A. Evans, case number 202279020, in the 269th District Court of Harris County, Texas.