Elon Musk Threatens To Sue Anti-Defamation League For X’s Lost Ad Revenue

Elon Musk said Monday that X, formerly known as Twitter, has “no choice” but to file a defamation lawsuit against the Anti-Defamation League amid an ongoing slump in advertising revenue.

Musk said the tech giant’s advertising revenue was down 60% in the U.S. following his acquisition of the company last year for $44 billion. His tenure has been rocky, to say the least: X has laid off thousands of staffers and Musk has enacted dramatic changes to limit features, paywall others and promote the site as a new bastion for free speech. That included an amnesty program for suspended accounts that prompted groups — including the ADL — to warn the changes would lead to an increase in harassment and hate speech.

But Musk said he blamed the fall in ad dollars on the ADL ― which works to combat hate against Jewish people ― saying the group had falsely accused X and Musk of being antisemitic.

Judge orders Ezra Levant to pay Saskatchewan lawyer $80,000 in defamation suit

TORONTO - An Ontario judge who heard a defamation lawsuit against Sun News Network host Ezra Levant ruled Thursday that the controversial media personality libelled a Saskatchewan lawyer in a series of blog posts the judge said were "motivated by malice."

Justice Wendy Matheson ordered Levant to pay $80,000 in damages to Khurrum Awan and remove "defamatory words" about the man from his website within 15 days.

"I find that the defendant's dominant motive in these blog posts was ill-will, and that his repeated failure to take even basic steps to check his facts showed a reckless disregard for the truth," Matheson wrote in her decision.

Pollster considers law society complaint over Tory affidavit

OTTAWA — Pollster Frank Graves says he is considering a complaint to the law society over a Conservative Party lawyer’s charge that he is a Liberal partisan whose evidence should not be relied upon.

The Conservatives last week filed a motion that accuses Graves of “clear bias” against them and asks the Federal Court of Canada to toss out an affidavit he filed in a series of court challenges of the 2011 election results.

Graves had been asked by the Council of Canadians, which is backing the court applications, to study the effect of pre-recorded “robocalls” and live calls on the voter turnout in seven ridings at issue in the case. His affidavit is a key piece of evidence in the cases.

Harper can't be shielded from facing defamation suit: Guergis's lawyer

OTTAWA - A lawyer for former cabinet minister Helena Guergis is fighting for her case to stay alive in court.

Stephen Victor struck back at defence counsel who said her defamation and conspiracy suit against the prime minister and other Conservative figures is flimsy and should be thrown out.

Guergis was turfed from cabinet and the Tory caucus in 2010 after allegations were made against her of possible criminal and unethical activity.

Defendants have told an Ontario Superior Court that the case should be dismissed because of the constitutional protections afforded the prime minister, cabinet and Parliament.

But Victor says the case has nothing to do with Prime Minister Stephen Harper's right to hire or fire who he wants.

He says the crux of the matter is what Harper did before he dismissed her, and that was allegedly defame her in a public statement and in a letter to the RCMP and the ethics watchdog.

Original Article
Source: winnipeg free press
Author: CP

Stephen Harper’s lawyers attack Helena Guergis’ defamation suit

OTTAWA—A lawyer for Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a withering assessment Wednesday of a defamation case brought by former cabinet minister Helena Guergis, calling parts of her claim “gibberish” and “a fiction.”

Guergis has filed a $1.3-million lawsuit against Harper, the Conservative party and several figures inside the Tory government alleging defamation, conspiracy, “misfeasance in public office,” infliction of mental suffering and negligence.

Vander Zalm Guilty Of Defamation

Former B.C. premier Bill Vander Zalm has been found liable of defaming the province's one-time conflict of interest commissioner Ted Hughes.

A B.C. Supreme Court civil trial jury delivered the verdict Thursday afternoon in Vancouver, with a recommendation that Vander Zalm pay Hughes $60,000 damages. The final damages amount will be up to the judge hearing the case, who will announce a decision at a later date.

Hughes had sued Vander Zalm for statements he made in a self-published autobiography.

Hughes headed an inquiry in 1991 that found then-premier Vander Zalm had violated the province's conflict-of-interest regulations during the sale of a theme park he owned.

The finding prompted Vander Zalm's resignation as premier.

In his 2008 autobiography, Vander Zalm suggested that Hughes was self-interested and politically biased in his conduct of the inquiry.

Hughes, 84, said he was shocked and depressed at reading the passages that referred to him.

Vander Zalm's lawyer told the court that the way his client portrayed key players like Hughes were fair comment.

Original Article
Source: Huff 
Author: cbc 

Helena Guergis Lawsuit: Former Tory MP Sues Harper, Others For Defamation

Former MP Helena Guergis is suing Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Conservative MPs Shelly Glover and Lisa Raitt, the Conservative Party of Canada and a number of other individuals for defamation and other claims.

The former member of Harper's cabinet, who had to leave the Conservative caucus in April 2010 following allegations against her and her husband, former MP Rahim Jaffer, launched the court action in Ontario's Superior Court of Justice. The statement of claim was obtained by CBC.

The unproven allegations related to drug use, fraud, extortion and association with prostitutes.

Guergis is not only suing her former boss and colleagues, but also Ray Novak, Harper's principal secretary, Arthur Hamilton and the law firm he works for, Cassels Brock & Blackwell, Guy Giorno, Harper's former chief of staff, Axelle Pellerin, a former aide to Guergis, and Derrick Snowdy. Snowdy is the private investigator from Toronto whose allegations helped spark the controversy around Guergis and her husband.

Snowdy spoke to Hamilton about Guergis and Hamilton then spoke to Novak, Harper and others, according to the statement of claim. Hamilton gave the impression that Guergis had used cocaine and engaged in other unlawful activities and that there was video evidence of it, the document suggests.