A Montreal man is receiving $500,000 in damages after Google restored an inaccurate post accusing him of being a pedophile.
The Canadian Press claims that the man googled his name in 2007 and discovered the defamatory post. Eventually, Google removed the link from the website’s search results, but it was mysteriously restored.
According to the court filings, the individual in question is a businessman who alleges that the online publication hurt both his personal and professional lives.
A publication ban has been placed to protect the man’s identity.
Under current U.S. law, Google would not be required to remove the link to the post under Quebec’s defamation laws.
However, Quebec Superior Court judge, Justice Azimuddin Hussian claims that Quebec defamation laws would in fact be applicable. Although it isn’t necessary for Google to examine every link within its search engine, it does need to take action when its links lead to defamatory content.
