Attorney Aaron Minc

Aaron Minc is a nationally recognized leader in the specialized area of Internet defamation. His work is on the technological forefront of removing damaging content from the Internet, combating defamatory cyberattacks, and uncovering identities of anonymous Internet users. Aaron has developed cost-effective cutting-edge legal solutions for his clients’ most pressing and damaging online problems. He is the go-to attorney in his industry for the most malicious and hard to solve internet defamation crises.

Aaron represents clients worldwide, ranging from individuals, small to mid-size business and Fortune 500 companies, to large nonprofit organizations, government institutions and high profile executives, celebrities, politicians, and other individuals. His practice involves combating Internet defamation, content removal, competitor defamation, Internet extortion, online investigation, online harassment, online cyberbulling, revenge porn, online privacy, and other types of defamatory cyberattacks.

Aaron has successfully litigated more than 100 Internet defamation lawsuits in 19 states and 3 countries, securing removal of defamatory content in nearly all of his cases. His experience spans obtaining verdict by jury and judge, winning temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunction, and victory on appeal. In the course of his practice, Aaron has removed over 10,000 websites and other pieces of false or damaging content from the Internet and search results for clients.

News media publications frequently call upon Aaron to comment and speak on topics involving Internet defamation and online privacy issues. He also teaches tactics and strategies for dealing with online defamatory cyberattacks to businesses owners, professional service providers, and other attorneys.

Civic Professional Involvement

• Ohio State and Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations
• Cleveland Jewish News, Board Member, 2014-present

Accomplishments

• Marquis Who’s Who, Dec. 2017, for Professional Excellence.
• Gold Client Champion award, 2017 (Fewer than 1% of attorneys have achieved the Martindale-Hubbell’s award)
• Recognized as a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers, 2014-present
• Rated “Superb” (10/10) on the lawyer rating website Avvo.com
• Clients Choice Award in area of libel law, Avvo.com, 2013

Presentations

• Ohio State Bar Association, Law & Media Conference, Panelist – “How the Internet Affects Litigation and Settlement Strategy for Defamation and Privacy Cases Workshop”, 2017
• LaunchHouse – Lunch & Learn – “How to Protect Your Business’s Online Reputation”, 2017
• American Psychological Association Annual Convention (Washington D.C.) – “Clinical Practice Considerations: Taking Steps to Avoid & Respond to Client Complaints and Grievances Online”, 2017
• ICIC.org, CEO Series: “Online Reputation Management – How to Fight Negative Reviews”, 2016
• Chester County Pennsylvania Bar Association, BULL Series – “Internet Defamation Presentation”, 2015
• Bizdom –  “Limited Liability Company Primer & Managing Your Company’s Online Reputation”, 2014
• Jackson Lewis 2013 Akron Employment Law Conference – “How to Defend Your Business from Cyber Defamation by Former Employees and other Malcontents,” 2013
• Bizdom – “Business Law 101: Contract Law & Negotiation”, 2013

Bar Admissions

• United States Supreme Court
• U.S. District Court, Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio
• All Ohio State Courts

Education

Miami University (B.S.)

• Major: Finance; Minor: Entrepreneurship.
• Miami University European Center in Luxembourg, Study Abroad Program.

Case Western Reserve School of Law (J.D., cum laude)

• Litigation Concentration, with Honors.
• President and Founder of the Sports & Entertainment Law Society.

Representative Matters

• Forced one of the largest book publishers in the world to alter the memoir of their celebrity author, issue a public apology to the client, and publicly agree to pay the client’s legal fees. Case garnered national media attention and successfully managed public relations campaign and interviews with news media outlets.
• Obtained temporary and permanent injunction for removal of online content published by woman who started an embarrassing website about high profile CEO as part of an extortion attempt for cash, real estate, and other property through online smear campaign.
• Represented large non-profit in litigation to remove defamatory websites and stop ongoing online extortion campaign and bogus litigation attacks against organization, board members and executives by rogue ex-employee.
• Successfully obtained removal of defamatory and embarrassing YouTube videos for head royalty figure/leader of foreign government by court order.
• Removed hundreds of defamatory and fake online blogs and press releases regarding central foreign government institution and its country leader through court order.
• Removed more than 25 news articles from Internet involving case of a false arrest accusing client of kidnapping, rape, sodomy, assault, battery and other serious criminal charges.
• Obtained settlement and injunction after investigating and successfully identifying close friend of young woman who was using dark web to hack her social media accounts, spread defamatory information, and publish fake nude photos of her online. Removed all material published from the Internet and search results.
• Obtained emergency restraining order and repossession of business’ social media accounts that were taken over by a contractor of the business for the purpose of using the social media accounts to publish defamation, pornography and other private information as a means of extortion to resolve a contract dispute.
• Removed news articles, and in-depth investigative reports from highly regarded political activist and non-profit organization websites. Articles wrongfully indentified and exposed as being potential terrorist and/or hate group leader when he was actually an undercover FBI agent.
• Uncovered identity of woman and private investigator using highly sophisticated tactics and dark web to conceal identity to publish dozens of defamatory, malicious, and baseless smears against men met through online dating websites. Removed all defamatory content published.
• Obtained pre-litigation settlement for client after successful identification in case involving defamation of male gynecologist being defamed online on patient review websites by cross town competitor/ex-employer.
• Secured permanent injunction against woman engaged in malicious ongoing campaign of online defamation, harassment, and extortion against business owner, wife and Company. Successfully removed over 50 websites and defamatory pieces of content.
• Attempted to and successfully removed nearly every different type and kind of content from the Internet and/or Google search results, including, but not limited to the following types of material or content located on the following websites:
  • Ripoffreport.com
  • Activist group websites
  • Barboyreport.Kr
  • Pissedconsumer.com
  • WordPress.com,
  • Blogspot.com, wix.com, tumblr.com, and other personal blogging websites
  • Sheasahomewreker.com
  • ComplaintsBoard.com
  • YouTube and other online video content
  • Cheaterland.com
  • News Articles
  • Mugshots
  • Reportmyex.com
  • Court cases and pleadings
  • Domains/websites registered and targeted to attack specific businesses and individuals
  • Usacomplaints.com
  • Arrest reports
  • Glassdoor.com
  • Scam.com
  • Personal information directory websites
  • Thedirty.com
  • Scamorg.com
  • Revenge porn, pornography, and anonymous porn pictures forums
  • Cheaterreport.com
  • RateMDs.com, Vitals.com
  • Discussion forum threads
  • Tagthesponsor.com

Publications

• Attorney makes name for himself in internet defamation, Cleveland Jewish News, January 2018
• Marquis Who’s Who Celebrates Aaron Minc, Esq. for Professional Excellence, The Daily Telescope, December 2017
• Aaron Minc on Why Coloradans Hardly Immune to the Damage Wrought by Internet Defamation and Other Digital Issues, Denver Post, November 2017
• As technology use grows, defamation cases become more common, Cleveland Jewish News, November 2017
• Bullying Linked to Perry High School Student Suicides?, Cleveland 19 News, November 2017
• What Can Gilroy Businesses Do in Response to Cyber Attacks, Patch, September 2017
• Stark Differences in US and EU Internet Privacy Law, Prague Post, September 2017
• Ohio falls short protecting victims of ‘Revenge Porn’, Cleveland News 5, July 2017
• Beachwood man reacts to offensive tattoo on social media, Cleveland Jewish News, July 2017
• Tumblr ordered to disclose users who shared ‘revenge porn’ video, New York Post, June 2017
• Revenge Porn Victim to Google: Make me disappear New York Post, 2017
• Privacy issues when posting publicly should be a concern Cleveland Jewish News, 2017
• Should You Really Pay to Erase Your Name From The Internet?, Investopedia.com, August 2016
• Melania no more: why did Donald Trump take down his wife’s website?, TheGuardian.com, July 2016
• CEO Series: Online Reputation Management – How to Fight Negative Reviews, Webinar Speaker, ICIC.org, July 2016
• How to Protect Your Business’s Online Reputation, Aabaco Small business (formerly Yahoo Small Business), June 2016.
• Speaker on Internet Defamation, Chester County Pennsylvania Bar Association, BULL Series (Better Understanding of Lawyers Lives), 2015.
• Forget Being A Victim, What To Do When Revenge Porn Strikes, C|NET, 2015.
• THE REPUTATION PROTECTOR, In Brief, A Publication of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2014.
• Publisher to Alter Lena Dunham Book After Rape Story Questioned, Attorney Says, The Hollywood Reporter, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Offers to Pay Legal Fees for Former Student, People, 2014.
• Removal of Ripoff Reports from Search Engines Remains Best Option, DefamationRemovalAttorneys Blog, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Addresses Breitbart Report With Clarification of ‘Barry One’ Rape Allegations, The Wrap, 2014.
• Random House Goes For Quick Payoff, Clears ‘Barry One’, Breitbart.com, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Publisher To Alter Future Versions of ‘Not That Kind of Girl’ To Clarify Ideintity Of Star’s Alleged Rapist, New York Daily News, 2014.
• Top 5 Online Reputation Laws You Should Know, ReputationX Blog, 2014.
• Court Slams Free Speech: Anonymous Yelp Reviews Under Fire, SearchEngineJournal.com, 2014.
• Ripoff Report To Revise Removal Policy: May Accept Court Orders, SearchEngineWatch.com, 2014.
• Man Who Claims He Matches Description Of Lena Dunham’s Alleged Rapist Starts Legal fund To Clear His Name And Prepare For Law Suit Against The Girls Creator, The Daily Mail, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Publisher Says her Alleged Rapist “Barry” Wasn’t Actually Named Barry, The Washington Post.
• Lena Dunham Says ‘Barry’ Was Pseudonym In Her Sexual Assault Essay, ABC News, 2014.
• Lena Dunhams’ Publisher to Alter Her Book After Threat of Litigation Over Rape Story, Time, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Clarifies That Alleged Rapist’s Name Is A Pseudonym, Entertainment Weekly, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Book to be Reprinted With ‘Rapist’ Clarification, NY Post – Page Six, 2014.
• Should ‘Girls’ Star Lena Dunham Be Prosecuted?, Above The Law, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher to Alter Memoir Passages Related to Rape Story, The Huffington Post, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Reportedly “Tweaking” Her Book After Legal Threat, Salon.com, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Book To be Altered Over Confusion About Rape Accusations, Cosmopolitan.com, 2014.
• Man Considers Lawsuit Against Lena Dunham Over Campus Rape Claim, FOX News 2014.
• Court Orders Yelp to Disclose User Identification Info for Reviews, Examiner.com 2014.
• Limited Liability Company Primer & Managing Your Company’s Online Reputation, Bizdom, 2014.
• Anonymous Yelp Reviews are Slammed by the Courts, Ignitevisibility.com, 2014.
• The Dark Side of the Internet—How to Remove Bogus and Defamatory Online Content, Bar Journal of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 2013.
• Yelp Lawsuit Could Mean Guest Reviewers Can Get Back Pay, SearchEngineJournal.com, 2013.
• How to Defend Your Business from Cyber Defamation by Former Employees and other Malcontents, Jackson Lewis 2013 Akron Employment Law Conference, 2013.
• Bing No Longer Complying With Court-Ordered Defamatory Content Removals?, Interviewed by Website, SearchEngineWatch.com, August, 23, 2013.
• Business Law 101: Contract Law & Negotiation, Bizdom, May 2013.
• Construction Contract Negotiation 101, AmSpirit Business Connections, May 2013.
• “Hiring an Attorney to Remove Content From the Internet and Manage Your Online Reputation,” AmSpirit Business Connections Solon Chapter , February, 2013
• “Contract Law & Negotiation For Business Owners,” Bizdom, October 2012.
• “Business Blogging Insights From an Attorney”, Interviewed by Rocksolidmedia, LLC Blog, November 2010.
• “CWRU law students reap client tidy sum,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, March 14-20, 2011, VOL. 32, NO. 11.
• Case Law Students Win Landmark $1.1 Million Dollar Verdict in Home-Repair Fraud Case, The Plain Dealer, March 17, 2011.
• Author, Ohio Business Litigation Blog.

Representative Matters

• Forced one of the largest book publishers in the world to alter the memoir of their celebrity author, issue a public apology to the client, and publicly agree to pay the client’s legal fees. Case garnered national media attention and successfully managed public relations campaign and interviews with news media outlets.
• Obtained temporary and permanent injunction for removal of online content published by woman who started an embarrassing website about high profile CEO as part of an extortion attempt for cash, real estate, and other property through online smear campaign.
• Represented large non-profit in litigation to remove defamatory websites and stop ongoing online extortion campaign and bogus litigation attacks against organization, board members and executives by rogue ex-employee.
• Successfully obtained removal of defamatory and embarrassing YouTube videos for head royalty figure/leader of foreign government by court order.
• Removed hundreds of defamatory and fake online blogs and press releases regarding central foreign government institution and its country leader through court order.
• Removed more than 25 news articles from Internet involving case of a false arrest accusing client of kidnapping, rape, sodomy, assault, battery and other serious criminal charges.
• Obtained settlement and injunction after investigating and successfully identifying close friend of young woman who was using dark web to hack her social media accounts, spread defamatory information, and publish fake nude photos of her online. Removed all material published from the Internet and search results.
• Obtained emergency restraining order and repossession of business’ social media accounts that were taken over by a contractor of the business for the purpose of using the social media accounts to publish defamation, pornography and other private information as a means of extortion to resolve a contract dispute.
• Removed news articles, and in-depth investigative reports from highly regarded political activist and non-profit organization websites. Articles wrongfully indentified and exposed as being potential terrorist and/or hate group leader when he was actually an undercover FBI agent.
• Uncovered identity of woman and private investigator using highly sophisticated tactics and dark web to conceal identity to publish dozens of defamatory, malicious, and baseless smears against men met through online dating websites. Removed all defamatory content published.
• Obtained pre-litigation settlement for client after successful identification in case involving defamation of male gynecologist being defamed online on patient review websites by cross town competitor/ex-employer.
• Secured permanent injunction against woman engaged in malicious ongoing campaign of online defamation, harassment, and extortion against business owner, wife and Company. Successfully removed over 50 websites and defamatory pieces of content.
• Attempted to and successfully removed nearly every different type and kind of content from the Internet and/or Google search results, including, but not limited to the following types of material or content located on the following websites:

Publications

• Attorney makes name for himself in internet defamation, Cleveland Jewish News, January 2018
• Marquis Who’s Who Celebrates Aaron Minc, Esq. for Professional Excellence, The Daily Telescope, December 2017
• Aaron Minc on Why Coloradans Hardly Immune to the Damage Wrought by Internet Defamation and Other Digital Issues, Denver Post, November 2017
• As technology use grows, defamation cases become more common, Cleveland Jewish News, November 2017
• Bullying Linked to Perry High School Student Suicides?, Cleveland 19 News, November 2017
• What Can Gilroy Businesses Do in Response to Cyber Attacks, Patch, September 2017
• Stark Differences in US and EU Internet Privacy Law, Prague Post, September 2017
• Ohio falls short protecting victims of ‘Revenge Porn’, Cleveland News 5, July 2017
• Beachwood man reacts to offensive tattoo on social media, Cleveland Jewish News, July 2017
• Tumblr ordered to disclose users who shared ‘revenge porn’ video, New York Post, June 2017
• Revenge Porn Victim to Google: Make me disappear New York Post, 2017
• Privacy issues when posting publicly should be a concern Cleveland Jewish News, 2017
• Should You Really Pay to Erase Your Name From The Internet?, Investopedia.com, August 2016
• Melania no more: why did Donald Trump take down his wife’s website?, TheGuardian.com, July 2016
• CEO Series: Online Reputation Management – How to Fight Negative Reviews, Webinar Speaker, ICIC.org, July 2016
• How to Protect Your Business’s Online Reputation, Aabaco Small business (formerly Yahoo Small Business), June 2016.
• Speaker on Internet Defamation, Chester County Pennsylvania Bar Association, BULL Series (Better Understanding of Lawyers Lives), 2015.
• Forget Being A Victim, What To Do When Revenge Porn Strikes, C|NET, 2015.
• THE REPUTATION PROTECTOR, In Brief, A Publication of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, 2014.
• Publisher to Alter Lena Dunham Book After Rape Story Questioned, Attorney Says, The Hollywood Reporter, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Offers to Pay Legal Fees for Former Student, People, 2014.
• Removal of Ripoff Reports from Search Engines Remains Best Option, DefamationRemovalAttorneys Blog, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Addresses Breitbart Report With Clarification of ‘Barry One’ Rape Allegations, The Wrap, 2014.
• Random House Goes For Quick Payoff, Clears ‘Barry One’, Breitbart.com, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Publisher To Alter Future Versions of ‘Not That Kind of Girl’ To Clarify Ideintity Of Star’s Alleged Rapist, New York Daily News, 2014.
• Top 5 Online Reputation Laws You Should Know, ReputationX Blog, 2014.
• Court Slams Free Speech: Anonymous Yelp Reviews Under Fire, SearchEngineJournal.com, 2014.
• Ripoff Report To Revise Removal Policy: May Accept Court Orders, SearchEngineWatch.com, 2014.
• Man Who Claims He Matches Description Of Lena Dunham’s Alleged Rapist Starts Legal fund To Clear His Name And Prepare For Law Suit Against The Girls Creator, The Daily Mail, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Publisher Says her Alleged Rapist “Barry” Wasn’t Actually Named Barry, The Washington Post.
• Lena Dunham Says ‘Barry’ Was Pseudonym In Her Sexual Assault Essay, ABC News, 2014.
• Lena Dunhams’ Publisher to Alter Her Book After Threat of Litigation Over Rape Story, Time, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher Clarifies That Alleged Rapist’s Name Is A Pseudonym, Entertainment Weekly, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Book to be Reprinted With ‘Rapist’ Clarification, NY Post – Page Six, 2014.
• Should ‘Girls’ Star Lena Dunham Be Prosecuted?, Above The Law, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Publisher to Alter Memoir Passages Related to Rape Story, The Huffington Post, 2014.
• Lena Dunham Reportedly “Tweaking” Her Book After Legal Threat, Salon.com, 2014.
• Lena Dunham’s Book To be Altered Over Confusion About Rape Accusations, Cosmopolitan.com, 2014.
• Man Considers Lawsuit Against Lena Dunham Over Campus Rape Claim, FOX News 2014.
• Court Orders Yelp to Disclose User Identification Info for Reviews, Examiner.com 2014.
• Limited Liability Company Primer & Managing Your Company’s Online Reputation, Bizdom, 2014.
• Anonymous Yelp Reviews are Slammed by the Courts, Ignitevisibility.com, 2014.
• The Dark Side of the Internet—How to Remove Bogus and Defamatory Online Content, Bar Journal of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, 2013.
• Yelp Lawsuit Could Mean Guest Reviewers Can Get Back Pay, SearchEngineJournal.com, 2013.
• How to Defend Your Business from Cyber Defamation by Former Employees and other Malcontents, Jackson Lewis 2013 Akron Employment Law Conference, 2013.
• Bing No Longer Complying With Court-Ordered Defamatory Content Removals?, Interviewed by Website, SearchEngineWatch.com, August, 23, 2013.
• Business Law 101: Contract Law & Negotiation, Bizdom, May 2013.
• Construction Contract Negotiation 101, AmSpirit Business Connections, May 2013.
• “Hiring an Attorney to Remove Content From the Internet and Manage Your Online Reputation,” AmSpirit Business Connections Solon Chapter , February, 2013
• “Contract Law & Negotiation For Business Owners,” Bizdom, October 2012.
• “Business Blogging Insights From an Attorney”, Interviewed by Rocksolidmedia, LLC Blog, November 2010.
• “CWRU law students reap client tidy sum,” Crain’s Cleveland Business, March 14-20, 2011, VOL. 32, NO. 11.
• Case Law Students Win Landmark $1.1 Million Dollar Verdict in Home-Repair Fraud Case, The Plain Dealer, March 17, 2011.
• Author, Ohio Business Litigation Blog.