Google LLC is facing contempt charges in a court in New South Wales, Australia, after it failed to immediately follow an order to take down negative reviews about a high-profile Sydney businessman.

In a statement, Google said it takes court orders seriously and responds to them in a timely manner. It has since removed the reviews.

The businessman, whose name is being withheld, filed legal proceedings against Google on July 4, according to various news reports, claiming the negative comments were defamatory and were harming his unnamed business.

The businessman is represented by Rebekah Giles, a partner in the Sydney office of the U.K.-based global law firm Kennedys. Giles did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In response to the businessman's filing, the New South Wales Supreme Court issued an injunction and demanded that Google remove defamatory reviews about the prominent businessman. But Google did not take down the posts, and instead, additional damaging reviews­ of the businessman were posted on Google Reviews that night. When they were still online on Friday, the court charged Google with contempt. Google took down the reviews on Saturday.

In the past, Google's lawyers have said it waits for a court order before removing material because the company should not be the arbiter of what is "defamatory" – the definition of which can vary from country to country.

Jane Kirtley, professor of media law and ethics at the University of Minnesota, told Law.com's Corporate Counsel on Wednesday that in the U.S., statements of opinion in such reviews are generally protected under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution unless there is a false statement of fact.

"Who has jurisdiction and whose law applies in an internet context is still unsettled," Kirtley said. "But countries tend to want to enforce their own laws."

She added that Google's general counsel is therefore probably not in a winning position in libel or privacy areas in Australia.

The company also has argued in past cases that removing negative reviews can work against consumer rights.

In April, according to an article in The Guardian Australia, Google noted that an Australian consumer watchdog agency had taken action against a deceptive car-for-hire company. That same company, Google said, had won court orders against Google 18 months earlier, forcing it to take down consumers' negative reviews.

Google did not immediately respond to questions about its policies, but the company and other online platforms have argued that any fight should be between the person who left a negative review and the business being reviewed.

Google has been summoned to appear before the Sup­reme Court on Friday.