2017 July 28

Nassri v. Homsi, 2017 ONSC 4554

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice awarded the plaintiff individual general damages of $50,000, aggravated damages of $20,000 and punitive damages of $20,000 over a defamatory post on the Internet.  The court noted that “use of the internet allowed the defendant to direct the publication to the 456 people to whom he sent the [defamatory]posting ….”  The court also noted that the defendant posted follow up articles on Facebook which generated 4,300 “likes.”  “What this points out is that the defendant has used the internet both to deliver defamatory material to specific individuals and more generally to anyone who has cause to read the … Facebook profile.  To put it differently [the defendant] has attempted to make comprehensive use of what publication over the internet offers.“