Chris Dawson quoted in Law Times article on duties around publication bands
An Ontario Superior Court judge has found reporters have a positive duty to find out about the scope of a non-statutory publication ban even if the court doesn’t set it out accurately in open court or post it in an easily accessible location.
Justice Duncan Grace made the finding in awarding $40,000 in damages to a witness in a sexual assault trial whom the London Free Press identified in an online and print article about the case. The decision in Doe v. Sun Media is reportedly the largest reported damages award in Canada as a result of a breach of a publication ban.