A crown prosecutor have a critical blogger condemned for defamation

2009-01-01

ACROWNPROSECUTORHAVEACRITICALBLOGGERCONDEMNE
DFOR
DEFAMATION

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDCLÉAIAVARONE-TURCOTTE*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

PRECIS:InthematterofBucklev.Caswell[2009SKQB363(CanLII)],theQueen’s
BenchforSaskatchewangrantedplaintiffWayneBuckledamagesaswellasan
injunctiverelieftohavedefamatorystatementspostedondefendantGayCaswell’s
blogremovedaswellaspreventtheoccurrenceoffurtherdefamation.

PlaintiffWayneBuckleisaseniorCrownprosecutorworkingintheLaRongedistrict
officefortheSaskatchewanDepartmentofJustice.Mrs.GayCaswell,the
defendant,operatesablogontheInternet.OnMarch19,20and23,2009,Buckle
readonCaswell’sblogstatementsthathefoundlibellousandasaresult,retained
legalcounsel.Thesestatementsreadasfollows:“Mr.Buckle:sources:northernlocals.Mr.Buckleandhissisterwere
bustedforagrowoperation.(Theywerechargedwithgrowing
marijuana).Mr.BucklelosthislicenceasalawyerwiththeSask.
LawAssociationbecausehetookmoneybelongingtoaclient.He
thenheadedtheLegalAidofficebutmisusedfundsthere.Heisa
wellknownandpubliclyknowncocaineuser.Onepersontoldmehis
personalexperiencewhenjudge,lawyer(Buckle)andhe,the
accusedhadacourtadjournmenttotoke-up(domarijuana)behind
theLaRongecourthouse.”

Buckle’scounselwrotetoCaswell,demandingthepublicationofaretractionofher
statementsaswellasanapology,butthisletterremainedunanswered.The
defendantwasthereforeservedwithastatementofclaimonMay31,2009,towhich
sheindirectlyrepliedbymeansofanewcommentpublishedonherblogonJune
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nd,2009:Mr.Buckle,lawyerandcrownprosecutor,accordingtohislawyeris
expectingmetogotocourtandtoapologiseformentioningafew

©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.CléaIavarone-Turcotteis
anarticlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-10-29issueofWorldMediaLawReport.
Publication328.076.

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reasonswhyBuckleisunfitforthejob.IfIapologisedIwouldbe
lying.Liarsgotohell.Thepersecutedsometimesgotocourt.No
apologywillbeoffered.”

Whileverymuchopinionatedonherblog,Mrs.Caswelldidnotseemtoputasmuch
energyonherdefence,sincetheactionwasnotedfordefaultonJune23,2009.
Becausetherehadbeennoapplicationonherparttoopenupthedefaultjudgement
andtoseekleavetofileadefence,MadamJusticeRotherystatedthatBucklewas
entitledtohaveismotionforjudgementdeterminedbythecourt.

TheJudgefirstrecalledthenatureofthetortofdefamation,asenunciatedbythe
SupremeCourtofCanadainBotiukv.TorontoFreePressPublicationsLtd.,[1995
CanLII60(S.C.C.)]:“[A]publicationwhichtendstolowerapersonintheestimation
ofright-thinkingmembersofsociety,ortoexposeapersontohatred,contemptor
ridicule,isdefamatoryandwillattractliability”.Shethenwentonbyapplyingthe
three-stepanalysisdevelopedinWarmanv.Grosvenor,[2008CanLII57728(ON
S.C.)]inordertodecideifCaswell’swordscouldrightlybequalifiedasdefamatory.
TheCourteasilyfoundthatthetermschosenbyCaswell,judgingfromtheirordinary
meaning,werepersedefamatory.ItalsostatedthatBucklehadproventhatthese
libellousaffirmationswerepublished.Finally,JusticeRotheryhadnodifficulty
concludingthatBucklewasclearlyidentifiedasthepersondefamed.

Thesethreeelementshavingbeenestablishedonabalanceofprobabilities,the
onlyquestionremainingwasthatoftheassessmentofdamages.Onthatmatter,the
JudgestressedtheimportanceoftakingintoconsiderationBuckle’sprofessionin
ordertoproperlyquantifytheharmcausedtotheCrownprosecutor.Hedidsoby
citingCoryJ.,formerjudgeoftheSupremeCourtofCanada,who,inHillv.Church
ofScientologyofToronto[1995CanLII59(S.C.C.)],spokethesewords:

“Inthepresentcase,considerationmustbegiventotheparticular
significancereputationhasforalawyer.Thereputationofalawyer
isofparamountimportancetoclients,toothermembersofthe
professionandtothejudiciary.Alawyer’spracticeisfoundedand
maintaineduponthebasisofagoodreputationforprofessional
integrityandtrustworthiness.Itisthecornerstoneofalawyer’s
professionallife.Evenifendowedwithoutstandingtalentand
indefatigablediligence,alawyercannotsurvivewithoutagood
reputation.”

Accordingly,damagesgrantedbytheCourtamountedto$50,000.TheJudge
expressedtheviewthatCaswell’srefusaltoapologizeandcontinuedpublicationof
libellousstatementsviaherblogcouldverywellhavecostheraggravateddamages,
butsinceMr.Bucklehadsuedunderthesimplifiedprocedurerulesalone(namely,
Rules114(4),119and122oftheQueen’sBenchRules),hewaslimitedtoanaward
forgeneraldamages.JusticeRotheryalsograntedtheplaintifftheinjunctivereliefhe

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wasseeking,thereforeorderingthedefendanttoremovealldefamatorycontent
fromherblogaswellasputanendtothepublicationoflibellousstatementsonthe
internetorthroughanyothermethodormedium.
ItistobenotedthatdefendantGayCaswellisappealingtheQueen’sBench’s
decision,asitappearsfromthenoticeofappealpostedonherblogenOctober9,
2009.Asforherlatestblogentry,datedOctober14,2009,itisundoubtedlyeloquent
ofhernew-foundfightingspirit:“IamtakingMr.Buckletocourtthistimenottheotherwayroundand
I’minnohurryatall.It’stimethatthefearful,compromisedandangry
victimsofdrugsandcorruptionhavetimetogathertheircourageand
comeforward.Lettheclean-upbegin.InChrist,Gay.”

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