‘Enough’s enough’: Sask. man to pay $150k for defamatory Facebook posts about RM administrator

A Saskatchewan man has been ordered to pay $150,000 for things he wrote on Facebook.

A Saskatchewan man has been ordered to pay $150,000 for things he wrote on Facebook. In 2020, Jack Harper made posts accusing Debra Parry of theft, misallocating funds and lying. At the time, Parry worked as the administrator for the RM of Pleasantdale.

Parry filed a defamation lawsuit. Justice Grant Currie ruled Harper’s statements were untrue and defamatory, and found he acted with malice. “His goal of achieving maximum harm to Ms. Parry’s reputation is evidenced in his extreme language,” Currie said in his decision.

“As this litigation progressed, it should have become apparent to him that his statements about Ms. Parry were wrong, so that it would have been fair and appropriate to remove them from the internet. Instead, he has maintained the statements.” Currie ordered Harper to pay $150,000 in damages, which includes $125,000 in general damages and $25,000 in aggravated damages.

Kevin Miller, Parry’s lawyer, said the ruling sends a message that defamatory social media posts have consequences. He said municipal administrators in Saskatchewan are frequently targeted online. “She wanted to set a precedent and say, ‘enough’s enough,’” Miller told CTV News.

Harper had the option to settle the lawsuit by writing an apology and paying $5,000, but he failed to show up to court three separate times, according to the ruling. CTV News attempted to contact Harper, but was not able to reach him.