Nova Scotia musician Ashley MacIsaac pulls Google defamation lawsuit
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HALIFAX – Nova Scotia fiddler Ashley MacIsaac has ended a defamation lawsuit against Google after claiming the search engine falsely identified him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary.
In a statement of claim filed in February with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, MacIsaac said the description wrongly stated he had been listed on the national sex offender registry.
The lawsuit also claimed the summary falsely asserted he had been convicted of a series of offences including sexual assault, internet luring involving a child and assault causing bodily harm.
The Juno Award-winning musician was seeking $1.5 million in damages from Google LLC for the “AI overview,” which can often appear at the top of search results.
However, a notice of discontinuance was filed on July 29 to end MacIsaac’s lawsuit. As is standard, the notice does not contain any further details.
The Cape Breton musician did not respond to a request for comment sent to his email on Wednesday.
U.S.-based Google also didn’t respond to questions.
In December, MacIsaac said he learned about the misinformation after a First Nation north of Halifax confronted him with the summary and cancelled one of his concerts. The Sipekne’katik First Nation later issued a public apology to MacIsaac.
MacIsaac’s lawsuit claimed Google is “liable for injuries and losses arising from the AI overview’s defective design” and that the company should have known the program was imperfect and could provide untrue information.
None of the claims in the document were tested in court.
MacIsaac has previously struggled with his personal finances.
In 2000, he filed bankruptcy papers with the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, claiming assets of $119,000 and liabilities of $305,633. A CBC News report from the time said he got to keep his fiddles as other assets were sold to satisfy creditors.
During the 2008 financial crisis, MacIsaac put his future earnings up for sale on the eBay auction site.
And in 2020, MacIsaac revealed publicly he was on the verge of bankruptcy with the touring industry shuttered during the pandemic.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2026.
— By Eli Ridder in Fredericton, with files from Michael MacDonald in Halifax.
