Sparks Steak House in Midtown has recently been the victim of some internet hazing and is suing Yelp to bring the identity of its troll to light. A user going by the handle "Besfort S." wrote a post on the user review site on July 18th claiming that he was a longtime employee who "spit [his] own saliva into dishes" with encouragement from the management. The restaurant obviously denies the practice, but also that they've ever employed someone by that name. Their lawsuit attempts to force Yelp to unmask the defamatory poster.
Exhibit B (via NYS Supreme Court)
In court documents, Sparks reveals that a man named Besfort Shala had applied for a job at the steak house but wasn't hired. The restaurant contacted Shala, who denied having posted the review and went on to file a police report about the incident to clear his name.
The post appears to have been removed from the restaurant's Yelp page but Sparks still wants to know who made the malicious posting. After a letter to the company went unanswered, Sparks filed the lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court, arguing that Yelp's Privacy Policy indicates that users agree to have their information tracked when using the site. Maybe the process would be expedited if Sparks agreed to advertise on the site!
[via NYP]
