Acting in concert to send lawful emails is no cause of action
ACTINGINCONCERTTOSENDLAWFULEMAILSISNOCAUSE
OFACTION
LAURENTCARRIÈREANDJEAN-FRANÇOISJOURNAULT*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS
PRECIS:InCarginanv.Bourgeois[2009QCCS4047]theQuebec’sSuperiorCourt
acceptedtodismisssummarilyanactionclaimingcollusionbetweenthedefendants,
asitfoundtheactionwasclearlyunfoundedanddoomedtofail.
Facts
In2005,theplaintiff,MichelCarignan(hereafter:“Carignan”),wasacandidatefor
mayoraltyinthesmalltownofRepentigny,ProvinceofQuebec.Duringthe
campaign,theplaintiffdistributed20,000copiesofapamphletcalled“L’Partisan”
whichwashighlycriticalofhisopponent,thethenMayoress,ChantalDeschamps
(hereianafter“Deschamps”).Boththenameandvisualappearanceofthesaid
pamphletwereverysimilartothoseof“L’Artisan”,aweeklynewspaperpublishedin
theareaforover30yearsbyMédiasTranscontinentalS.E.N.C.(hereafter:
“Transcontinental”).
FollowingprotestsfromDeschamps’organizingcommitteeandfrommanycitizens,
Transcontinentalpublishedastatementinanotherofitsregionalnewspaper,
denyinganyassociationwiththepamphletdistributedbyCarignan.Transcontinental
alsonotifiedCarignanandhispartytostopdistributingthepamphletandrequested
apublicstatementtotheeffectthattherewasnoconnectionbetween“L’Partisan”
and“L’Artisan”,buttonoavail.
Furthertothere-electionofDeschamps,Transcontinentalreceivednumerous
complaintsfromagroupofhersupporters(nowdefendantsinthisaction)
complainingabouttheconfusioncreatedbythesimilarityintitleanspresentationof
thepublicationL’PartisantoL’ArtisanandurgingTranscontinentaltotakelegal
actionagainsttheindividualsresponsibleforit.Inalmosteveryemail,theyalleged
©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.Jean-FrançoisJournaultis
anarticlingstudentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-10-29issueofWorldMediaLawReport.
Publication328.075.
2
thatnumerousvoterswhoread“L’Partisan”weremisguidedintothinkingitwasin
fact“L’Artisan”thatwassocriticaloftheMayoress’administration.
TranscontinentalsuccessfullysuedCarignanandhispoliticalpartyforpassingoff
andwasawardeddamagesintheamountof$22,500.Thiscondemnationprompted
Carignantoinstitutehisownactionagainstthosesupporters,inwhichheclaims
damagesof$225,000.Hiscontentionsarethatthedefendantsconspiredtoharm
him,bysendingemailstoTranscontinental,inordertohelpitgatherevidenceof
confusionthatwaslaterusedintheactionagainsthim.
Followingtheplaintiff’sexaminationfordiscovery,defendantswereseekingthe
dismissaloftheaction.Theyreliedonthethenapplicablesection75.1ofthe
QuebecCodeofCivilProcedure.However,whilethejudgewasdeliberating,anew
lawwasenactedandsection75.1wasrepealedinfavourofnewprovisions
attributingbroaderpowerstojudgeswithregardstopreliminarydismissalofan
action.Inparticular,judgescannowdismissanactionwithoutbeinglimitedtothe
analysisoftheanswers(orlackofanswers)providedbyapartyduringan
examinationfordiscovery.
Judgment
JusticeFraibergidentifiedtwoquestionsrelevanttothiscase.Thefirstonewas
whetherthedefendantscommittedatortwhenactinginconcerttoconvince
TranscontinentaltopursuelegalactionagainstCarignan.IntheeventtheCourt
believedthedefendantswerecivillyliablefortheirconduct,itwouldthenneedto
determinewhetherthedamagesclaimedbyCarignanwerecausedbythesaidtort.
SincetheJudgeconcludedthatneitherofthesequestionscouldbeanswered
positively,itgrantedthedefendants’MotionforSummarilyDismissaloftheAction.
Whenanalysingtheexistenceofatort,thejudgeobservedthattheplaintiff’sclaim
wasrootedinthecollusionofthedefendants,aimedatprovidingTranscontinental
withevidenceofconfusionthatcouldbeusedinsubsequentlegalprocedures,
ratherthanonthecontentoftheemails.JusticeFraibergindicatedthattherewas
nothingwrongwithworkingtogethertosendemails,aslongasthecontentofthe
saidemailswaslawful.Anexaminationofthecontentiousemailsrevealedthatthe
contentwasperfectlylegitimateasthedefendantswerejustifiedtoassertthe
similarityofthepublicationsandtocomplainthatsomecitizensmighthavebelieved
thatthearticleswereinfactwrittenbyjournalistsfrom“L’Artisan”.Moreover,the
possibilityofconfusionwasadmittedbyCarignanhimselfduringhistrialagainst
Transcontinentalandagainduringhisexaminationfordiscoverypertainingtothe
currentaction.Thereforethedefendantscanhardlybeliableforcomplainingabout
it.
3
Onthematterofthecausalconnectionbetweenthedamagesandtheallegedtort,
thejudgeaffirmedthattherewasnodirectlinkwiththedamagesclaimed.Aplaintiff
inapassingoffactiondoesnothavetodemonstratethatindividualswereinfact
confused.Inordertomeethisburdenofproof,aplaintiffisonlyrequiredto
demonstratethattherewasapossibilityofconfusionforthepublicingeneral.Such
confusioncouldeasilybeestablishedbythesimplecomparisonofthepublications
atissueandtherefore,theemailssentbythedefendantswerenotessentialfor
Transcontinental’slegalactiontosucceed.Moreover,theCourtaffirmedthatthe
chronologyofeventsclearlydemonstratedthatTranscontinentalplannedon
pursuinglegalactionagainstCarignanlongbeforeitreceivedthedefendants’
emails,thenoticehavingbeenpublishedseveraldaysbeforeitreceivedtheemails.
Thejudgealsodismissedtheclaimforpunitiveandexemplarydamages.Inhis
reasons,henotedthatnoneoftheplaintiff’srightswereinfactinfringedbythe
defendantsandtherefore,noreparationcouldarise.Theemailsweresentseveral
daysaftertheelection.Asaresult,neitherCarignan’sfreedomofexpression,norhis
righttobecandidateatanelectionwereinfringed.Accordingtosection49ofthe
CharterofHumanRightsandFreedoms(aprovincialquasi-constitutionallaw
protectingindividualrightsandfreedomsintheProvinceofQuebec)nodamages
canbeclaimedintheabsenceofinfringementofrightsprotectedbythesaid
Charter.Thejudgeaddedthat,infact,itwouldbethedefendants’freedomof
expressionandopinionthatwouldbeinfringediftheyweredeniedtherightto
complainabouttheplaintiff’sactions.
Fortheforegoingreasons,theCourtacceptedthedefendants’MotiontoDismissthe
Action.
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4
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