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ARTICLE · 30 MAY 2022

BLG Win: Defamation Claim Against Municipal Councillors Dismissed

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On May 26, 2022, the Ontario Superior Court granted an "anti-SLAPP" motion to dismiss a defamation claim brought by the plaintiffs, Joseph Volpe and the newspaper Corriere Canadese.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Kevin A. McGivney
Kevin A. McGivney
Natalie Kolos
Natalie Kolos
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On May 26, 2022, the Ontario Superior Court granted an "anti-SLAPP" motion to dismiss a defamation claim brought by the plaintiffs, Joseph Volpe and the newspaper Corriere Canadese. The plaintiffs had sued City of Toronto councillors Kristyn Wong-Tam and Paul Ainslie; four school board trustees; and Yahoo Media, among other media entities and journalists. The plaintiffs' claim sought over $30 million in damages.

The defendants brought motions to dismiss the action under section 137.1 of the Courts of Justice Act, also known as an "anti-SLAPP" motion.

Factual Background

The plaintiffs had published a series of articles which strongly opposed various positions taken by the defendant trustees with respect to issues affecting the LGBTQ2S+ community in the school board.

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