Since the arrival of social media, publicly expressing an
opinion has taken on a whole new dimension. The potential audience
for online expressions of an opinion is vast, and companies are now
paying close attention to comments published about them online. In
some cases, the popular verdict can be devastating.
Businesses sometimes have to go to court when they feel
victimized by defamatory and baseless statements about them online.
That was the case in the recent matter of École
de conduite Hermès v. Dubé, 2017 QCCQ
128941, in which a Facebook user was ordered to
pay the plaintiff $3,800.
* * *
I – Facts
The plaintiff, Pascal Leyris, is the owner of driving school
École de conduite Hermès. Before starting that
business, he was an instructor at another driving school, Permis
Plus. Relations between the plaintiff and Permis Plus had been
highly acrimonious since the plaintiff started his own
business.
