Chinese Master Chef Guo Wins Defamation Suit
NEW YORK, March 15, 2023 (Newswire.com) - A Fairfax County circuit court judge in Virginia ruled on Jan. 25, 2023, in favor of the famous Chinese American culinary master and owner of Chef Guo Restaurant, Guo Wenjun, after five years of legal proceedings. The court sided with the plaintiff, Guo, and agreed that the defendant had committed defamation and conspired to intentionally and maliciously harm the famous chef and his restaurant.
The judge ordered the defendant to pay a total of $3.19 million. These fines included $1.3 million of punitive damages and $1.8 million in compensatory damages. The defendant was also ruled responsible for paying all the $95,000 legal fees resulted from this lawsuit.
The court also noted that the $3.19 million figure was calculated based on the reputational and monetary damages that had accrued from impact of the defendant's defamation.
The attacks online first begin when Chef Guo's first US based restaurant -- also named Chef Guo -- in Washington D.C. was featured on The Washington Post and the Northern Virginia Magazine. The defendant, who had gathered a group of accomplices after seeing the initial coverage, began to write fake reviews on Google and Yelp defaming the restaurant. The group later moved onto social media sites such as Instagram, Facebook and WeChat. The group also targeted the restaurant on Chinese community websites.
"It got so bad to the point that I would see 30 to 40 new one-star reviews online every night." said Chef Guo. A month later, he sued the defendant for defamation.
"I've invested 40 years into Chinese culinary art. It is my life."
Chef Guo, who became a disciple of the royal chef Ding Guangzhou at 14, is now the seventh-generation disciple in the ancient lineage of royal chefs. This type of Chinese cuisine, also known as an imperial banquet, was usually enjoyed by Chinese royalties in the past. But what Chef Guo has created is an extension of that, and something entirely independent. He has coined his creation the Healthy Royal Cuisine Culinary System, which is also officially recognized in China as its own cuisine. Chef Guo is also officially a national treasure level chef.
Chef Guo also has had the honor of cooking for numerous prominent Chinese leaders on occasion, and world leaders at the APEC Summit Dinner held in China in 2014, which was very well received by all those in attendance.
Chef Guo's famed restaurant, Chef Guo, which has been the center of this lawsuit was reopened in New York, located at 135 E 50th St.
Source: Chef Guo Restaurant