Libel
11/1/2004
November 2004
The Ontario Court of Appeals has ruled that a libelous posting on the Internet causes more damage than a similar statement that appears in traditional print media. The appeals court increased the trial judge's damage award from $15,000 (Canadian) to $75,000 and added $50,000 in punitive damages. In increasing the damage awards, the court noted that Internet defamation is more pervasive and more dangerous to the reputation of those maligned because it is interactive and immediately available world- wide. (Barrick Gold Corporation v. Jorge Lopehandia, Court of Appeal for Ontario, No. C39837, 2004)barrick_jorge1104.pdf