A group of 63 doctors filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on Thursday against Google seeking ¥1.45 million (about $9,400) in compensation for causing harm to their businesses through what they described as one-sided, hateful reviews for their clinics on Google Maps.
The suit is the first in Japan — and possibly the world — to target a platform rather than the individuals who posted the reviews, lawyers of the plaintiffs said.
Yuichi Nakazawa, one of the lawyers representing the doctors, told a news conference that the main purpose of the lawsuit is not to seek compensation for damages caused by the poor reviews but instead to raise awareness over various problems with the Google Maps system.
“People often misunderstand that I’m taking these actions because I want bad reviews about me to be deleted, but that is not the case,” added the doctor leading the plaintiff group, who asked to remain anonymous for privacy reasons.
The lawsuit was filed by a group of doctors, dentists, medical clinics and veterinary clinics from across the nation whose patients left poor reviews and hateful comments on the review section of Google Maps while also giving out low ratings.
They argue that these reviews tend to be one-sided, are often left anonymously and create a bad impression of their clinics. When prospective patients look at them on Google Maps, it may discourage them from coming to their facilities, resulting in a loss of business.
They sought ¥23,000 each in damages, totaling ¥1.45 million in total.
For the doctors, these reviews are hard to rebut given patient-doctor confidentiality, creating a dynamic in which medical institutions are “one-sided punching bags,” the lead plaintiff said. Although it is not an issue unique to doctors, medical institutions are especially vulnerable to the Google Maps system.
“Unlike other businesses, patients don’t pay the majority of the treatment covered by the national health care system. Therefore we cannot give into all the demands that the patient has — we can’t prescribe unnecessary medicines or perform unnecessary tests,” the lead plaintiff said. “So we have to decline such requests, but when we do, it can result in a bad rating on Google Maps.”
The lead plaintiff said that he initially did not want to make a legal case. But he said he was unable to have a fruitful conversation with Google about these issues since he was directed to the U.S. headquarters multiple times after having attempted to contact its Japan office, as no such department exists in the country.
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2024/04/18/japan/crime-legal/google-doctors/
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