'You don't get to hide': Alberta court finds California woman guilty of defamation against Canadian DJ

In an unusual case of defamation, an Alberta judge recently awarded a Quebec DJ $1.5 million in damages stemming from a social media account run by a California woman he had never met.

In an unusual case of defamation, an Alberta judge recently awarded a Quebec DJ $1.5 million in damages stemming from a social media account run by a California woman he had never met.

Frédérik Durand, an electronic dance music (EDM) producer and DJ known as Snails, says his life and reputation were destroyed by an Instagram account called @evidenceagainstsnails.

Run by Michaela Higgins, an EDM performer and publicist in the U.S., the now-deactivated account reposted allegations of sexual misconduct and physical abuse by Durand.

"It destroyed a big part of my career, of my personal life," Durand said in a French interview with CTV News Montreal. "It impacted my mental health. It affected a lot of things, my family, my girlfriend. There wasn't a single area that it didn't affect."

Durand has maintained that all of the accusations posted on Higgins' account were false and in 2021 he filed a defamation suit against Higgins in Alberta.

It's rare that a case is litigated in a province where neither the plaintiff nor defendant lives.

However, a judge at the Alberta Court of King's Bench said the province had jurisdiction because the Instagram account – and the posts shared on it – could be directly linked to Alberta and two of Durand's shows being cancelled in the province in 2021.