Viamar Health Institutes of the Palm Beaches, LLC has taken legal action against an individual accused of launching a defamation campaign that threatens its reputation and business operations. The complaint was filed by Viamar Health Institutes in the Circuit Court of Palm Beach County, Florida, on October 1, 2024, targeting Martha Bellido as the defendant.
The lawsuit arises from a series of online posts made by Bellido beginning on September 10, 2024. These posts included a Google review that allegedly contained false and damaging statements about Viamar's part-time program for treating eating disorders. According to the complaint, Bellido claimed that her child received inadequate care at Viamar's facility, leading to weight loss and regression in health progress within just three days. She further accused the therapists of being unequipped to handle patient needs and alleged that harmful behaviors were learned at the facility. "I want to emphasize that ViaMar’s primary concern is money, not the well-being of the children in their care," Bellido wrote in her review.
In response to these allegations, Viamar sent a cease-and-desist letter to Bellido on September 25, 2024. However, instead of retracting her statements, Bellido updated her original post with claims of intimidation and harassment by Viamar and its attorneys. She maintained her stance that her review was truthful and refused to be silenced by what she described as bullying tactics.
The complaint also accuses Bellido of creating a fake account under the name "Nathalia Latour" to post additional defamatory content on September 30, 2024. This post echoed similar sentiments about inadequate care at Viamar's facility and warned others against using their services.
Viamar asserts that these statements are not only false but have caused significant harm to its business reputation. The company claims that Bellido's actions constitute defamation per se because they impute illegal acts and unethical behavior without basis or justification. The plaintiff argues that these defamatory statements have deterred potential clients from seeking treatment at their facility and damaged their standing within the community.
In addition to seeking compensatory damages exceeding $50,000 for reputational harm and business losses, Viamar is pursuing injunctive relief. They request a permanent injunction requiring Bellido to remove all defamatory postings and prohibiting her from making further false statements about them.
Representing Viamar Health Institutes is Adriana C. Clamens from Cohen, Norris, Wolmer, Ray, Telepman, Berkowitz & Cohen law firm. The case ID is: 502024CA009435XXXAMB Div: AK.