The defendant brought an anti-SLAPP motion under s. 137.1 of the Courts of Justice Act to dismiss the plaintiff's defamation action.
The action arose from tweets published by the defendant accusing the plaintiff of fraud and misappropriation of funds raised for victims of the Fort McMurray wildfires.
The court dismissed the motion, finding that the plaintiff had demonstrated substantial merit to his defamation claim and that the defendant's defences of justification, fair comment, and responsible communication did not have a real prospect of success.
The court also found that the public interest in permitting the action to proceed outweighed the public interest in protecting the defendant's expression.
