Bruce S. Rosen Obtains Anti-SLAPP Dismissal of Libel Action from Online Law Firm Review

Bruce S. Rosen, partner at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., obtained another dismissal of a lawsuit under New Jersey’s anti-SLAPP law on behalf of a client who had left an online review of a law firm.

Somerset County Judge Lance J. Kalik dismissed the Law Office of Rajeh A. Saadeh’s suit for defamation, trade libel, and tortious interference against former client Jagjeevan “Jill” Kaur, stemming from a critical Google review she posted in January 2025 regarding the firm’s legal services during a four-month divorce representation in 2019. While Saadeh argued the statements were false, privately disputed, and defamatory, Kaur’s counsel contended the review constituted a matter of public concern under New Jersey’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, and the court agreed, dismissing the action under the state’s 2023 anti-SLAPP statute and awarding Kaur attorney fees.

Rosen has represented others whom law firms have sued over online critiques, including obtaining a dismissal of a complaint under the anti-SLAPP law against the Lento Law Firm which sued its own client, as well as in a lawsuit brought by a defendant company against a law firm for posting details about a law suit it had filed. Both of these cases included awards of legal fees and are now on appeal.

The case was featured in the New Jersey Law Journal article titled, “String of Victorious Law Firm Critics Shows Anti-SLAPP Statute 'Working as Intended,' Attorney Says.”

Bruce S. Rosen, partner at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden and counsel for Kaur, was happy with the ruling.

“We are very pleased. It was a very thorough and well-reasoned opinion,” Rosen said in an email comment.

The other case Wellbrock referenced, Law Office of Rajeh A. Saadeh v. McPherson, also occurred in Somerset County Superior Court and ended with dismissal in favor of defendant Jeremy McPherson last April. McPherson posted a critical online review of the Saadeh firm’s legal services, after it represented his opponent in a real estate litigation. After the Saadeh firm filed suit for libel, McPherson’s counsel also argued that his review was a matter of public concern, and he won both dismissal of the case and a fee award.

Yet another action, this one from Mercer County Superior Court, Lento Law Group v. Hendrickson, dealt with former client Carly Hendrickson’s negative review of the Lento firm posted on the Better Business Bureau’s website. Hendrickson won dismissal in June 2024 and an award of attorney fees exceeding $24,000. That case was appealed and recently argued before the Appellate Division.

Rosen also represented both McPherson and Hendrickson, whose cases are currently on appeal.

To read the full article in the New Jersey Law Journal, click here.

Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C. is proud of the results he has achieved for clients.  Of course, each legal matter is unique on many levels, and past successes are not a guarantee of results in any other pending or future matters.