What is the defence of truth in a defamation action?
British Columbia, Canada
The following excerpt is from Griffin v. Sullivan, 2008 BCSC 827 (CanLII):
Truth is a complete defence to a defamation action. If the defendant proves that the defamatory words he or she published about the plaintiff were substantially true, then the claim will fail, even if the defendant was motivated by the malicious intent to injure the plaintiff. See Newman v. Halstead 2006 BCSC 65 at paragraph 34.
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