Stocker v Stocker

What the court held

Meaning in defamation is determined by how the ordinary reasonable reader (or in this case, Facebook user) would understand the words in context. Modern social-media publications require judges to consider platform norms and reader habits.

Key rulings

• Meaning is judged by the impression on an ordinary reader in the specific medium.
• Facebook readers are hasty and impressionistic — trial judge erred by using a dictionary literal meaning.
• Social-media context is intrinsic to meaning assessment.

Topics

Authoritative source