Kiebala v. Boris, No. 17-3233 (7th Cir. 2019)
Annotate this CaseKiebala owns a luxury car share service, Curvy Road, that allows customers to purchase time‐ownership rights to high‐end automobiles that are owned by “investors.” In 2009, Boris became a Curvy Road “investor” and received a share of the rental revenue when customers drove his Lamborghini Gallardo. In 2010, Boris withdrew his car from the program. Kiebala’s check for Boris's payment did not clear. Boris never received his final payment. Boris posted angry and derogatory statements on various websites. The final posting was made to RipoffReport.com in July 2011; its heading asserted that Kiebala was a “SCAM and FRAUD!” and “Stole Money!” In October 2014, Boris emailed Kiebala that he wanted to give him “a chance to make good ... before I put my review of your company on various websites.” The parties did not reach an agreement. Boris launched a new round of internet postings. In July 2015, on scamorg.com, Boris posted a statement almost identical to his RipoffReport post and “updated” his original 2011 post. Kiebala, representing himself, sued Boris in July 2016, alleging Illinois state law claims. The district court dismissed the complaint as untimely. The Seventh Circuit affirmed, rejecting an argument that the district court abused its discretion in failing to suggest how Kiebala could amend his complaint to avoid dismissal. District judges do not have an affirmative duty to coach parties, even pro se parties, The applicable Illinois statute of limitations bars Kiebala’s libel claim.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.