Can i be sued for slander or libel against a business? (Canada, Qc)?

[gobrwy]

I need to know if I can be sued for Slander or Libel against a business(no actual person in that business directly)

Basicly, im going through a major rough patch with a car dealership who sold me a 20,000$ lemon and its getting ugly. so Ive decided to make it a hobby of mine to be a
nightmare, I already filed complaints with the BBB, National Minister or transportation, and made awful reviews on as many websites as i could find including google. so next i was thinking of litteraly printing about 1000 small posters reading " XXX dealership sold me a 20,000$ lemon", with a picture of a lemon on wheels. i figure ill mail it to the dealership as well as stick it on every telephone and light post up and down where they are located. also involved in the community car scene, so ill definetly be spreading the word nightly at every car show and cruise night.

anyways the purpose of this is to be such a pain to the dealership that they decide to settle with me and repay my loss or to come to another reasonable setttlement.

So again, can i be sued later because im trying to "hurt" his business?

[aviya]

I need to know if I can be sued for Slander or Libel against a business(no actual person in that business directly)

Basicly, im going through a major rough patch with a car dealership who sold me a 20,000$ lemon and its getting ugly. so Ive decided to make it a hobby of mine to be a
nightmare, I already filed complaints with the BBB, National Minister or transportation, and made awful reviews on as many websites as i could find including google. so next i was thinking of litteraly printing about 1000 small posters reading " XXX dealership sold me a 20,000$ lemon", with a picture of a lemon on wheels. i figure ill mail it to the dealership as well as stick it on every telephone and light post up and down where they are located. also involved in the community car scene, so ill definetly be spreading the word nightly at every car show and cruise night.

anyways the purpose of this is to be such a pain to the dealership that they decide to settle with me and repay my loss or to come to another reasonable setttlement.

So again, can i be sued later because im trying to "hurt" his business?

Anyone can sue you anytime for anything. They may win if the claim has merit. Can you slander or libel a business? Sure. Have you? You've provided no relevant information.

I conclude your plan lacks foresight.

EDIT: Well, you have provided more words but still not told us what you plan to do, other than that you want to destroy this person's business to force him to give you money. I still think your plan is stupid. Now I think YOU are stupid. Think what you like of me--I don't care.

[condan]

It is pretty hard to disagree with Anita on this one. I'd give her "best answer" right now.

[shen86]

A similar case just came out of the Ontario Courts, where a woman circulated an email accusing an Ottawa business of selling broken furniture and refusing to honour their commitments. The allegations weren't completely true, and the fact of malice alone meant that no other defences to defamation were available. She ended up having to pay $15,000 to the business. She'll also have to contribute to legal fees, not to mention paying her own lawyers.

The business couldn't recover any mental distress damages, because as a corporation it isn't physically capable of mental distress...but at law, corporations are people, entitled to sue those who wrong them for losses suffered.

Mind you, as I said, this case was in Ontario (though as I understand it she was in Gatineau when actually sending the emails), and there are a lot of differences in the law when you cross the river. Defamation, in the rest of Canada, is governed significantly by common law principles, which don't apply in Quebec.

My gut instinct, without knowing the relevant aspects of Quebec law, is that you're taking a big risk in such an action, and that if you actually succeed in getting the dealer's attention through this campaign, you'll be hearing from their lawyers about it. Better to get appropriate legal advice first before embarking on a course of action of this nature.

[calvert]

Explain to them that it isn't liable if it's true. And you're not trying to hurt his business. You're trying to protect other buyers. Explain that if the dealership would behave in an upright and honest manner that you'd be delighted to suggest his business as a place to buy an auto. LOL! It's all about the spin dude. Remember too that you can get away with saying just about anything so long as you phrase it as a question.