Legal Question in Business Law in Maine

Can a business Ban for freedom of speech?

I run a website and some of the members have been complaining on the forum about a certain business owner and how he operates his store, prices, etc...

The owner found out about the rant on the site and is threatning to ban everyone from his store who has been complaning.

I have heard that private business owners have the right to refuse service to anyone they feel like. Can he actually ban these people from his store just because they expressed distaste at his prices, etc...?


Asked on 8/04/04, 4:47 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Lawrence Graves Coolidge & Graves PLLC

Re: Can a business Ban for freedom of speech?

Your question title is mis-stated. Yes, the store owner can ban anyone from his store for saying nasty things about it/him (or, for that matter, any other grounds that he deems fit -- it is his private property). [There are, of course, prohibited grounds for denial of service (e.g., race/sex/disability discrimination) but none of these seem applicable here.]

LDWG

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Answered on 8/04/04, 9:39 am


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