Farah Abdel-Haleem

The applicant, operator of the Canadian Securities Exchange, sought a permanent injunction and take-down order against the respondent, a stock promoter.

Following the exchange's objection to the respondent serving on the board of a listed issuer, the respondent engaged in a sustained campaign of online harassment and defamation against the exchange and its personnel.

The court found the respondent's statements were clearly defamatory and not protected by defences of justification, fair comment, or responsible communication, as they were malicious, baseless, and irresponsible.

The court granted a permanent injunction restricting the respondent from making public allegations about the exchange's personnel, imposing specific content restrictions regarding the exchange, and ordering the removal of the defamatory posts.

The applicant securities exchange sought an interlocutory injunction to restrain the respondent from publishing defamatory statements on social media and harassing its employees.

The respondent, a shareholder and publisher, had engaged in a campaign accusing the applicant and its personnel of fraud, corruption, and other criminal conduct.

The court found the statements clearly defamatory and concluded that defences of justification or fair comment would inevitably fail.

The court granted the injunction, prohibiting the respondent from contacting the applicant's employees and from making further defamatory statements pending the hearing of the application.