The case involved individuals who, trying to extort large amounts of money, repeatedly threatened and eventually did publish on the internet false allegations that the victim cheated an innocent man out of an inheritance. The defamatory statements were published on at least seven web sites over a number of years.
The extortionists also distributed cards to their victim’s neighbours to alert them of the web sites’ existence. Every time the victim stopped the publishing on one web site, the libel material was published on another.
Under Canadian law, the size of damages awards is influenced by the breadth of the distribution of the defamatory material. The court reached its decision considering the nature of the internet, which instantly transmits information to a worldwide audience.