2017 February 20

Huang v. Silvercorp. Metals Inc., 2017 BCSC 273

The British Columbia Supreme Court ordered that the plaintiff post the sum of $150,000 as security for the costs of the defendant in this defamation action.  The plaintiff sued for damages, including punitive damages, for alleged false imprisonment and defamation which the plaintiff alleged related to his involvement in the online publication of certain reports about Silvercorp.  The plaintiff also alleged he was defamed in material published on the internet.  The court noted that whether to order security for costs is a matter of discretion.  The purpose of such an order is “to protect the defendant from the likelihood that in the event of its success it will be unable to recover its costs from the plaintiff…However, a just balance must be struck between achieving that objective and not stifling legitimate claims.”