September 13, 2023
By Emmanuel Couture-Tremblay The recent decision of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Armstrong v. Farahi, 2023 ONSC 5069 dealt with a motion to dismiss a defamation action as an impermissible SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) lawsuit. Facts In this case, the defendant Amir Farahi wrote a Column in London newspaper Our London […]
September 01, 2023
At our weekly meeting, Itai Gibli discussed the recent decision of the Ontario Divisional Court in Corion v. Plummer, 2023 ONSC 3249. Overview The Divisional Court heard an appeal of a Small Claims Court trial decision dismissing a defamation action brought by the appellant. The decision provides insight into how courts determine whether a statement […]
August 09, 2023
By Kathryn Orydzuk In 2015, the Ontario Legislature passed the Protection of Public Participation Act, S.O. 2015, c. 23, which introduced a powerful motion to counter “Gag Proceedings” or “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation” into the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C. 43. The motions provide a defendant to a defamation lawsuit with […]
June 01, 2022
By Athina Ionita In Dent-X Canada v. Houde, 2022 ONCA 414, the Court of Appeal considered whether a defamation action concerning an internet post about the plaintiff’s services in supplying face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic should be dismissed pursuant to Ontario’s “anti-SLAPP” legislation, s. 137.1 of the Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. […]
May 03, 2022
The decision in Cyr v. LeBlanc, 2022 ONSC 2555, shows that damages in defamation actions can be quite high. The defendant published statements about the plaintiff on several websites. Many of the statements labeled the plaintiff as being racist. The plaintiff contacted the defendant by Instagram, requesting the postings be removed. The defendant escalated the […]
November 05, 2021
At our weekly meeting, Annie Levanaj discussed the recent decision of the Court of Appeal in Echelon Environmental Inc. v. Glassdoor Inc., 2021 ONCA 763. This decision dealt with a motion brought by a “John Doe” defendant, who was an anonymous online poster, to extend time to serve and file a Notice of Appeal from […]
