Does using the word "alleges" or "suspected" change the meaning of a statement that is not defamatory?
British Columbia, Canada
The following excerpt is from Galloway v A.B, 2021 BCSC 2344 (CanLII):
These passages were cited with approval by Grauer J. (as he then was) in Manno v. Henry, 2008 BCSC 738, at paras. 72-73. Thus, simply using the word “alleges” or saying that a person is “suspected” of criminal conduct will not necessarily transform a defamatory statement into one that is not defamatory. The court will still have to consider whether, in context, the statement carries a defamatory meaning.
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