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Defamation judgment granted over false scam allegations in newspaper and Facebook posts.
The plaintiff succeeded in a libel action arising from newspaper articles and Facebook posts portraying her as a scammer who defrauded migrant workers of millions of dollars.
The court held that the publications were plainly defamatory and that the defendants failed to establish justification, responsible communication, fair comment, or statutory privilege.
The court also rejected reliance on Small Claims Court judgments as proving the sting of the allegations, and held that the Libel and Slander Act barred only the 2020 newspaper publications, not the timely 2022 article or personal social media republications.
General damages of $150,000 and punitive damages of $100,000 were awarded.
