Mashable ran this today about a woman who got sued for posting a tweet about Horizon Realty, property management company.  The Chicago Sun Times reported the original story. Horizon filed a libel lawsuit against @abonnen for tweeting this on May 12th:

“”Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? Horizon realty thinks it’s okay.”

Horizon says that @abonnen had moved out recently so clearly there was something about the apartment that she did not like–possibly the mold? So instead of trying to find out what was the issue and looking for a way to resolve it, Horizon went the “legal” route: a $50,000 lawsuit for libel.

“We’re a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization,” he said, noting that the company manages 1,500 apartments in Chicago and has a good reputation it wants to preserve.

They are going to soon be an organization with a bad reputation for using legal muscle when someone says something unpleasant about them.

I am no lawyer but, I can’t see this having legs. Things are written about people and organizations every day on the internet through blogs, Twitter updates, Facebook udpates, etc. Are we going to file lawsuits every time someone says something we don’t like?

Whatever the legality of this is, the legal system will sort it out. I can only comment with some authority on the impact this has on Horizon’s image. No one likes a bully and this is a clear case of bullying. In this brave new world where every brand or company is going to be talked about whether they like it or not, bullying is not the best way to preserve a good reputation.

For me, I will be highly unlikely to want to rent properties under Horizon as they might try to sue me if the relationship goes sour and I write about it. We are always telling others about our experiences with companies. Good or bad. So if I have a bad experience with Horizon and then tell people that I see every day and people in my social networks, am I going to be sued for libel and slander because Horizon feels it is false?

Very few people probably saw @abonnen’s tweet about Horizon. Now that they filed an outrageous sum for a tweet, many more people have discovered it. Good job! They have now helped more people associate Horizon with moldy apartments and frivolous lawsuits.