A respiratory physician has lost a defamation claim over a targeted campaign of negative reviews after a court found insufficient evidence that the reviews had lost him patients.

The County Court of Victoria said multiple hurtful online reviews under different names had come from one person, although her motive was unclear.

Published in January 2024, the reviews stayed on Google and Yellow Pages for about six weeks and on Yelp and Birdseye for 4-7 months.

They alleged “many complaints, poorly performed procedures, legal problems” at the clinic and, in another review, “negligent practice, many lawsuits [and] sexual misconduct”.