Lawsuit Filed Against Restaurant Critic
Philadelphia Inquirer foods critic Craig LaBan is being sued for libel for describing a $15 piece of beef as "miserably tough and fatty." The lawsuit is worrisome for LaBan because he is being asked to give a deposition on camera; if this occurs, LaBan's face would become known to all the city's restaurant owners. Attorneys for LaBan say a video deposition would be cruel. "Mr. LaBan's anonymity is important to the process by which he reviews restaurants," say LaBan's lawyers in court papers. "If a restaurant knew Mr. LaBan was in its dining room, it might put on a show for him that would not be provided to the general dining public."
LaBan's lawsuit-provoking review of the restaurant Chops, reads, in part, "a recent meal, though, was expensive and disappointing, from the soggy and sour chopped salad to a miserably tough and fatty strip steak. The crab cake, though, was excellent." Alex Plotkin, the owner of the restaurant, says that LaBan didn't eat a strip steak, but had a steak sandwich without bread and says "no legitimate food critic would ever mistake, or compare, a steak sandwich with a strip steak."
Related Links:
Anonymity a Valuable Tool for Food Critics
Michael Bauer: Between the Meals
Suing a Restaurant Critic