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Defamatory Facebook post cost Abbotsford woman $65K


Chalky

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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/defamatory-facebook-post-costs-abbotsford-woman-65-000-1.3548211

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A British Columbia woman has been ordered to pay more than $65,000 after making unfounded accusations on Facebook suggesting her neighbour was a pedophile who set up mirrors and cameras in his backyard to spy on her children.

 

... the Abbotsford neighbours' relationship began to deteriorate after Pritchard approached Van Nes in 2011 about turning off a newly-built backyard pond and waterfall at night, which he said interrupted his wife's sleep.

 

"An accusation of pedophilic behaviour must be the single most effective means of destroying a teacher's reputation and career, not to mention the devastating effect on their life and individual dignity. He now faces the challenge of repairing the damage Ms. Van Nes has caused, if that is even possible at this point."

This looks like a case of an escalating war between neighbours that went too far, not to mention another case of how some people are mega-deficient at using social media.  WTF did she think would happen?  I use FB and Instagram to promote my music, it's almost a requirement, but using FB with for anything personal makes me very uneasy. 

 

I'm interested to hear what you think about the ruling, is it high?  Will it ever be collected?  There was no mention of an appeal, but I would expect there will be one.  Personally, I think it's a little high, but I'm starting to feel that regarding social media, people need to be saved from their own stupidity, and rulings like this should have a resounding impact. 

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thats the price you pay when you try to ruin someones life, over a noise complain, of all things. had the court not gone his way, he'd be labeled like a sex offender, won't be able to find a job, marriage, friends, family all go down the tube. 65,000 is fair, all things considered

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3 minutes ago, Twilight Sparkle said:

thats the price you pay when you try to ruin someones life, over a noise complain, of all things. had the court not gone his way, he'd be labeled like a sex offender, won't be able to find a job, marriage, friends, family all go down the tube. 65,000 is fair, all things considered

Seems kinda low after you put it that way :shock:

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Social media has now allowed people to post whatever they want without accountability.

I can understand the stupid $&!# that gets said from teenagers and kids, but from a full grown adult is just facepalm worthy.

This is libel and slander. Very destructive to one's reputation.

 

She might benefit from whatever sensitivity training Shaw is taking.

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3 minutes ago, J.R. said:

Seems kinda low after you put it that way :shock:

it really is. it's similar to when someones accused of rape. your life changes and it takes a while to repair your reputation because, if someone has a nice detailed little story, people tend to believe it, questioning your character and suddenly you're not who they thought you were. it's dumb

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It's about time people started being held accountable for what they say online and in social media. It's time to remove that 'shield of invisibility and invincibility' some seem to feel they have when posting libelous comments about someone else. How often do we hear 'Suck it up'.....'I was only kidding'..... 'Grow a pair' ..... when someone complains about it? Some people don't seem to want to accept responsibility for what they write on social media.... it's nice to know that the courts will now hold them accountable if they lack the self-discipline or common decency to monitor their own behavior. People can't defame or libel others and think they can hide behind a keyboard anymore.

 

The damage done to this man's character, reputation, job standing as a teacher etc. is deserving of a much higher damages award, in my opinion.

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1 hour ago, Kakanucks said:

Social media has now allowed people to post whatever they want without accountability.

I can understand the stupid $&!# that gets said from teenagers and kids, but from a full grown adult is just facepalm worthy.

This is libel and slander. Very destructive to one's reputation.

 

She might benefit from whatever sensitivity training Shaw is taking.

Not really. The rules apply in printed form - and with social media, you can see the proof of any slander/libel incidents.

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1 minute ago, Cerridwen said:

It's about time people started being held accountable for what they say on line. Remove that 'shield of invisibility and invincibility' some seem to feel they have when posting libelous comments about someone else. How often do we hear 'Suck it up'.....'I was only kidding'..... 'Grow a pair' ..... when someone complains about it? Some people don't seem to want to accept responsibility for what they write on social media.... it's nice to know that the courts will now hold them accountable if they lack the self-discipline or common decency to monitor their own behavior. People can't defame or libel others and think they can hide behind a keyboard anymore.

 

The damage done to this man's character, reputation, job standing as a teacher etc. is deserving of a much higher damages award, in my opinion.

Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder!

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1 hour ago, Chalky said:

OK, I agree with the consensus so far, $65K is barely stiff enough.  If I put myself in his shoes and, someone accused me of being a pedo, I'd lose my mind and go Hulk Smash.

So you're saying that 100 k will make you full-on erect?

 

You're an expensive client to please.

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1 hour ago, J.R. said:

Why, you stuck up, half-witted, scruffy-looking Nerf herder!

:lol:

why does this lady not face criminal charges?  The damage she could have caused (and did cause) to this man might have been as bad as beating him with a pipe.  Ruining, or attempting to ruin a person's life should have criminal consequences, should it not?

 

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