Online defamation and its consequences

2009-01-01

O
NLINEDEFAMATIONANDITSCONSEQUENCES

LAURENTCARRIÈREANDSASHAMANDY*
LEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
L
AWYERS,ANDPATENTANDTRADE-MARKAGENTS

InSanchez-Pontigonv.Manalansan-Lord[2009CanLII28216(ONS.C.)],Justice
ElizabethQuinlanoftheOntarioSuperiorCourtofJusticeheldthatplaintiffPontigon
wasdefamedwhendefendantLord,authorofabookpublishedinthePhilippines,
postedoneofitschaptersontheinternet.ThecourtawardedPontigon$37,500in
damagesandalsoawarded$13,716.46insubstantialindemnitycostsbecauseof
theseverityofthedefamation.
Facts
UdisSanchezManalansan-LordandLeodegariaSanchez-Pontigonarefirstcousins.
Lordwroteabookentitled;“FromFieldhandtoPh.D.,Ms.AsiaInternational
MotivationforSuccessandHappiness”(thenamesofPontigonandherhusbandin
thebookhavesincebeenchanged).Init,Lordchroniclesherlife,fromgrowingupin
povertyinthePhilippinestowinningtheMs.AsiaInternationalPageant,toearning
herPh.D.Sheusesherownexperiencestocounselothersonhowtoachieve
happinessandsuccessintheirownlives.Inthebook’sveryfirstchapter,she
allegesthatPontigonandherhusband,LuisitoPontigon,kidnappedLord’smother
andforcedhertotransferthedeedtoherpropertyintoPontigonandherhusband’s
name.ThebookalsoinsinuatesthatbothPontigonandherhusbandwereinvolved
inthedisappearanceofLord’sUnclePulo.
Chapter1ofthebookwaspostedonline.Pontigonbecameawareofthebookand
itscontentsonMarch10,2004,whensheconsulteditonline.Othermembersofher
Filipinocommunitydidaswell.
PontigonsufferedgreatlyandforalongperiodfollowingthepublicationofLord’s
book,bothphysicallyandemotionally.PontigonandherhusbandsuedbothLord

©CIPS,2009.*Lawyerandtrade-markagent,LaurentCarrière,isaseniorpartnerwithLEGERROBICRICHARD,
LLP
amultidisciplinaryfirmoflawyers,andpatentandtrade-markagents.SashaMandyisaSummer
studentwiththefirm.Publishedinthe2009-07-11issueofWorldMediaLawReport.Publication
328.067.

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andthepublisherofherbook,Philippine-AmericanEducationalPress,alleging
defamationanddamagetoherreputation.Attrial,Pontigondroppedtheclaims
againstPhilippine-AmericanEducationPress,andsought$37,500indamagesfrom
Lord.LuisitoPontigonwasunabletomakeittothetrial,andnooneappearedon
behalfofdefendantLord.
Law
Beforerenderingjudgement,thecourthadtodecidewhetherOntariowasthe
appropriateforumfortheproceedings.Lord’sbookwaspublishedinthePhilippines,
butthedamagesresultingfromtheallegeddefamationoccurredinOntario.Rule
17.02(h)oftheOntarioRulesofCivilProcedurepermitsaplaintifftoserveaparty
outsideofOntario,providedthattheplaintiff’sclaimconcernsdamagessustainedin
Ontarioarisingoutofatort,suchasdefamation.Giventhatthedamagesoccurredin
Ontario,andthatLorddidnotseekastayoftheproceedingsforlackofjurisdiction,
thecourtfoundthatithadtherequisitecompetencetohearthemeritsofthe
defamationclaim.
ThecommonlawofOntariopresumesthatdefamatorywordsarefalse.Theplaintiff
mustprovethatthewordswerepublishedbythedefendant,buttheonusfallstothe
defendanttoshowthatthedefamatorywordsaretrue.Thedefamer’suseof
pseudonymsorothernamestodescribetheplaintiffisnotavaliddefence.
JusticeQuinnreliedontheSupremeCourtofCanada’sHillv.ChurchofScientology,
[1995]2S.C.R.1130todeterminethequantumofdamagesfordefamation.The
standardfactorstoconsideraretheplaintiff’spositionandstanding,thenatureand
seriousnessofthedefamatorystatements,themodeandextentofpublication,the
absenceorrefusalofanyretractionofapology,thewholeconductandmotiveofthe
defendantfrompublicationthroughjudgment,andanyevidenceofaggravatingor
mitigatingcircumstances.JusticeQuinncitedBarrickGoldCorporationv.Jorge
LopehandiaandChileMineralFieldsCanadaLtd.,[2004]O.J.No.2329(C.A.),which
heldthatthemodeandextentofpublicationinonlinedefamationcasesisparticularly
pertinentgiventheuniversalityofpublishingviatheinternet.
Arguments
PontigontestifiedtotheextentthatthepublicationofLord’sbookaffectedher.She
wascontinuallyquestionedabouttheveracityofthebook’sallegationsbymembers
ofherTorontoFilipinocommunity,andbymembersofherownfamily.
Lordfiledastatementofdefence,butdidnotappearbeforethecourtattrial.She
admittedthatshewrotethebook,butthatshehadreplacedthenamesofthe

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defamedpartiessincebecomingawareofthelawsuit.Pontigon’snamewas
changedto“Kamatis”,whichinEnglishmeans“tomato”.Pontigon’shusband
receivedthename“Balasenas”,whichmeans“eggplant”.SincePontigon’snameis
notintherevisededition,Lordclaimedthatthebookcannotbedefamatory.Lord
alsoprovidedthecourtwithdocumentssheclaimedprovedtheveracityofthe
allegationsmadeinherbook.
Judgement
ThecourtcategoricallyrejectedallofLord’sargumentsandfoundthatthewords
publishedinChapter1ofherbookweredefamatory.JusticeQuinnnotedthateven
therevisedversionofthebookstillcontainsdefamatorystatementsbecausetheuse
ofpseudonyms,especiallyasdegradingasthoseused,doesnotprotectthe
defamer.
Indeterminingthequantumofdamages,thecourtweighedthefactsagainstthe
criteriasetoutinHill.ThedefamatorystatementsreducedPontigon’sstandinginthe
communityandwereveryserious.Thecourtfoundthatthepublicationofthebook
ontheinternetwasanaggravatingfactorbecauseanyoneintheworldcouldnow
readthesedefamatorywords.Lorddidnotretractherstatementsorofferan
apology,andthebookisstillavailableonline.Finally,Lorddidnotprovideany
acceptableevidenceastothetruthfulnessofherallegations.
ThecourtawardedthefullquantumofdamagesclaimedbyPontigon,$37,500.The
courtalsoawardedsubstantialindemnitycostsof$13,716.46againstLordbecause
shemadeunfoundedallegationsthatwereseriouslyprejudicialtoPontigon’s
character.
MostofLord’sbookcanbeviewedforfreeonGoogleBooks,anditisalsobeing
soldbyAmazon.com.AsofJune30,2009,ithadasalesrankingof5,967,663.
Held,damagesawardedfortheabovereasons.

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