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TCM Doctor Wins $12,500 in Damages Over Defamatory Google Review

TCM Doctor Wins $12,500 in Damages Over Defamatory Google Review

TCM Doctor Wins $12,500 in Damages Over Defamatory Google Review
The court said one of the reviews was fair and not defamatory.
The patient, Cheryl Lim, went to a TCM clinic with neck and shoulder pain on November 17, 2024.
The doctor, Pheabe Chau, did acupuncture on Lim while another therapist did cupping and massage.
Lim said she had severe pain and weakness after the treatment and could not lift her arm.
Lim called the clinic the next day and spoke to Chau.
Chau told Lim to come back to the clinic to find out what was wrong, and said a $25 medicated dressing might help if it was just muscle soreness.
Chau said Lim did not want to come back after being told she would have to pay for the dressing.
Lim said she was not told to come back right away, and was told that other patients had similar symptoms that got better after a few days.
Lim and the clinic talked more after that.
Lim went back to the clinic and saw two senior doctors.
One of the doctors said he did not know why Chau had done acupuncture under Lim's arm.
Lim was told to go to the hospital if she did not get better, and she did.
The hospital said Lim had a mild nerve injury and a pinched nerve.
Chau said there was no proof that the acupuncture caused Lim's pain, but Lim said her doctor said it was possible.
Lim spoke to the clinic manager on the phone and asked about getting her money back.
The manager said Lim asked for a refund and to be paid back for her hospital bills, but Lim said she only asked if she could get her money back.
Lim wrote a bad review on Google, warning others to be careful.
She said she had gotten acupuncture before without problems, but this time she lost strength in her arm.
She named Chau as the doctor and said a senior doctor had told her he had never seen anything like it before.
Lim went back to the clinic and Chau said she asked for money and threatened to write more bad reviews.
The clinic commented on the review and said there might have been mistakes in the treatment.
They said they would not give Lim her money back, and Lim said she would report them to the police and write more bad reviews.
Lim wrote another bad review on Google, naming Chau and another therapist.
She said she could not even lift her child or hook her bra, and that the clinic only cared about money.
Google took down the reviews in mid-December 2024.
Chau's lawyers sent a letter to Lim, and Lim's lawyers said she would take down the reviews but would not say sorry or pay.
Chau started a court case against Lim, asking for money and an order to stop her from writing bad things.
At the trial, Lim said the reviews were not about Chau and were not defamatory.
Lim's lawyers said the reviews were true or were just her opinion.
The judge said both reviews could be defamatory, but Lim had a good reason for the first one.
The judge said the first review was just Lim's opinion, based on what she knew at the time.
But Lim did not have a good reason for the second review.
The judge said Lim had presented false information as fact, saying Chau had done something wrong.
The judge gave Chau more money because Lim had written the second review to get back at her.
The money will include interest from the day of the court decision.
Both sides will give the court their thoughts on who should pay the costs.