If a Canadian wants to sue a foreign newspaper for libel, over an article that a few hundred people may have read online in this country, can they do so here? In a case that could have important consequences for Canadian media, lawyers for the major Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz will argue at the Supreme Court of Canada Wednesday that a libel lawsuit filed against them from Ontario billionaire Mitchell Goldhar should not be heard in a Canadian court. “It raises front and centre the challenge of what court should hear internet libel cases,” Haaretz’s Toronto-based lawyer, Paul Schabas, told the Star. “As this case shows, such a test is also vulnerable to manipulation by wealthy litigants who can effectively purchase forums of their choosing. In written submissions filed with the court, Goldhar’s lawyers say the Haaretz article criticized his management of the soccer team, and accused him of “megalomania” and “penny-pinching,” as well as “disparaged” the way he runs SmartCentres.

Source: thestar November 28, 2017 21:33 UTC