MONTREAL -- The Quebec Superior Court has rejected the request for authorization to bring a class action against Facebook, in relation to the Dis son nom and Victims Voices pages that names alleged perpetrators of sexual assault.
Charles Lehouillier-Dumas filed an application for authorization to bring a class action on behalf of individuals whose reputation or dignity was harmed after they were associated with defamatory posts about victims of sexual harassment or assault on these pages.
He accused Facebook of allowing administrators and users to publish false information without verifying it.
The Superior Court ruled that the plaintiff did not meet the criteria for such authorization.
It ruled that Facebook does not have an obligation to prevent the publication of defamatory material and that the company does not have the same obligations as a traditional media.
It also held that inconvenience or anxiety about apprehended damages is not sufficient to satisfy the appearance of right.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Aug. 24, 2021.
