Banned from blogging on company behind Responsible Winnipeg ads

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/06/2013 (4821 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CONTROVERSIAL blogger Gordon Warren is running out of people and businesses he can write about.

For the second time in two months, a Queen’s Bench judge has slapped Warren — author of bringkatztojustice.blogspot.com — with an injunction prohibiting him from commenting about a local business.

The injunction was sought by Direct Focus Marketing Communications Inc., its owner Mark Hofer and the firms’ employees — all of whom were named by Warren in a recent blog on a move at city hall to sell and lease out civic golf courses.

Direct Focus had been hired to conduct a media campaign to promote the sale of John Blumberg Golf Course and a 20-year lease for four other civic courses. The campaign appeared to be spearheaded by an independent community group calling itself Responsible Winnipeg, but it turned out that group was the creation of one of Mayor Sam Katz’s political-advisory bodies.

In court Friday, Justice Douglas Abra issued a temporary injunction prohibiting Warren from commenting in his blog, or any other form, about Direct Focus, Hofer and the company’s employees. He was ordered to remove the posts he had written about the company, its employees and Hofer.

The injunction is part of a defamation civil suit Direct Focus launched this week against Warren.

Abra said the injunction remains in place at least until another hearing June 26, when Warren can present evidence to lift the injunction.

Warren declined to comment.

In early April, Justice Glenn Joyal imposed an injunction on Warren, prohibiting him from writing about local businessmen brothers Sandy and Robert Shindleman and their firm, Shindico. The Shindlemans are suing Warren for defamation.

At Friday’s hearing, Warren, who was not represented by counsel, defended his writings as free speech. However, Abra said freedom of speech is limited by defamation laws and advised Warren to get legal advice before he returns to court.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca