Court examines whether employers are liable when agents post allegedly defamatory content to promote business
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently dealt with motions to strike claims brought by a real estate agent against two brokerages and their supervisors.
The agent alleged that competing agents defamed her by posting content on social media to promote their employers' businesses.
The competing agents were employed at separate real estate brokerages where they used social media to attract clients and facilitate sales.
The brokerages and their supervisors brought motions to strike the claims against them for disclosing no cause of action.
The agent is an experienced real estate professional who uses social media to promote her expertise. She marketed services to followers, built engagement with potential clients, and networked with other realtors for referrals. She had approximately 9,000 followers across multiple social media platforms.
The first competing agent worked at one brokerage and used social media to market her services. She had over 140,000 followers across two major platforms.
The second competing agent worked at another brokerage and used social media to attract clients.
She had over 17,900 followers on one platform and was the administrator of an industry group with over 1,000 subscribers.
The agent claims the competing agents did not like her social media posts on market trends and industry statistics. She...
Rod Stewart has hit out at US President Donald Trump over his false claims about British troops in Afghanistan. The rock star has urged UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Reform UK leader Nigel Fa...