Twitter In Huge Trouble
A British Columbia judge ruled that a defamation lawsuit filed against Twitter by Canadian businessman and founder of Lions Entertainment, Frank Giustra, can indeed proceed in the province.
Viva Frei’s David Freiheit says the decision is purely procedural because it relates only to the jurisdiction. There is no determination on the merits or final judgment, but the implications for Twitter is huge, because it now allows for the social media giant to be sued for defamation outside the United States. Says Freiheit, “It’s not a lawsuit based on defamation, blaming the defendant of having uttered the defamatory words, it’s a lawsuit against Twitter for having hosted the defamatory words.”
Giustra, a Clinton family confidant and board member of the Clinton Foundation, claims he was defamed when 2016 tweets accused him of involvement in the Pizzagate sex-trafficking scandal. Twitter filed a motion in 2019, asking the B.C. court to dismiss the lawsuit or favor moving the jurisdiction to California, where Twitter is located. Here’s the rundown on Viva Frei.
