SYDNEY (Web Desk) – An Australian businessman was awarded $115,000 in damages caused by a libellous Facebook post about his business.
According to details, Kenneth Rothe, 74, owned two hotels located in the Australian coastal town of Nambucca where he lived with his family, Business Insider reported.
One day, out of the blue, his hotels were accused of being a haven to pedophiles, a claim, that the judge would later determine as being baseless.
In March 2014, electrician David Scott posted, “Pedophile [sic] warning: – Nambucca has been used as a relocation for these monsters – blue dolphin –nirvana hotel and above the Indian restaurant! …Bus stops are right out front of theses hotels for our children?”
In the wake of the Facebook post, Rothe started receiving numerous anonymous phone calls, and he says his life was threatened on two different occasions. One assault left him hospitalized for six months. Finally, his family moved out of the coastal village.
Judge Judith Gibson, who presided over the lawsuit, said the post was written out of the blue, had no factual basis, and severely affected Rothe’s life. Scott was told to pay Rothe.
