In British Columbia, client held responsible for unfair negative reviews

[djbaxter]

Disgruntled bride ordered to pay $115K after defamatory posts ruin Chinese wedding-photo business
By Jason Proctor, British Columbia, CBC News
March 1, 2018

A Richmond, B.C., woman who saw her Chinese wedding photography business crumble under the viral reach of a disgruntled bride's poison pen says she hopes her personal nightmare can serve as a lesson for others. A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ordered the angry bride to pay $115,000 in damages for defaming Kitty Chan's now-ruined business, Amara Wedding. Chan says she's pleased with the ruling. But the case was never about the money.

"What I have lost has already gone, so I don't think anything can compensate that. I want to prove to people that they have to face any consequences when they say something on the internet," Chan said Wednesday....

Justice Gary Weatherill found that Emily Liao dedicated herself to sullying Chan's business after receiving a set of what she felt were sub-par proofs of pre-wedding shots. "This case is an example of the dangers of using the internet to publish information without proper regard for its accuracy," Weatherill wrote. "Emily, and others who think it is acceptable to use the internet as a vehicle to vent their frustrations, must be given the message that there will be consequences if their publications are defamatory."

Bear in mind that civil awards in Canada are generally substantially below what would be awarded by US courts. To me this still seems low, given Liao was so persistent and vehement in her attempt to damage the company that the company was forced to go under as a result of the negative campaign, but it is at least a moral victory.

Read more...

 

[Linda Buquet]

Wow. So many stories lately about reputation/review problems.
Sad it was so bad she went out of business!

Thanks for sharing David.