Ali

I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

In June 2019, Ali filed an action against Yelp for breach of contract, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and defamation. In July 2019, Ali filed an amended complaint that added causes of action for fraud, unfair competition, negligent misrepresentation, promissory estoppel, and false advertising. Ali’s amended complaint alleged that he had been an entrepreneur for 22 years and was a “high market profile professional” and a licensed “Legal Document Assistant.” In 2018, he created a business called LDA Legal Solutions (LDALS) to provide “legal documents services” to consumers. He initially considered and rejected advertising with Yelp and chose instead to use Craigslist and physical signs advertising his business. However, in June 2018, Ali responded to a Yelp promotion and entered into a contract with the company for marketing services. He subsequently disputed the charges that Yelp was billing to his credit card and requested a refund. Ali terminated the contract after Yelp refused his refund request. Ali later contacted Yelp about his belief that Yelp was not showing all of the positive reviews for LDALS, which he…