JUDGMENT

Hazizah Kassim JC:

Introduction

[1] This is an appeal by Ling Yexiang, the defendant in the Sessions Court , against the decision of that Court on 1 November 2024 following a full trial.

[2] The parties will be referred to as they were in the lower Court .

Background

[3] The Sessions Court provided no grounds of judgment as the trial judge had retired.

[4] I wish to express the Court 's appreciation to the team of learned counsel for both the plaintiff and the defendants, who have provided assistance through their written and oral submissions, especially in the absence of the grounds of judgment by the trial judge.

[5] The cause of action brought by the plaintiff against the defendant is based on the tort of defamation.

[6] The Sessions Court had allowed the plaintiff's claim as follows:

a) Defendan dikehendaki membayar Ganti rugi Am sejumlah sebanyak RM500,000.00 (Ringgit Malaysia Lima Ratus Ribu Sahaja) dan Ganti rugi Teruk sejumlah sebanyak RM50,000.00 (Ringgit Malaysia Lima Puluh Ribu Sahaja) kepada plaintif;

b) Suatu injunksi terhadap defendan daripada menyiarkan atau mengepos sebarang Kenyataan Bersifat Fitnah, pengeposan, komen atau perkataan yang memberi kesan serupa dengan Kenyataan Bersifat Fitnah tersebut di Lembaran akaun Facebooknya, sebarang lembaran akaun Facebook awam, sebarang forum online, Google Review atau penerbitan lain dalam apa jua cara sama sekali terhadap plaintif;

c) Defendan dikehendaki mengeluarkan dan memadam Kenyataan Bersifat Fitnah tersebut serta merta, termasuk penyiaran, komen atau perkataan yang membawa kesan yang serupa dengan Kenyataan Bersifat Fitnah tersebut daripada Lembaran akaun Facebooknya dan penerbitan lain dalam apa jua cara sama sekali yang diakibatkan olehnya terhadap plaintif;

d) Defendan dikehendaki menerbit dan/atau diakibatkan untuk menerbit dalam cara yang menonjol, suatu penarikan balik awam dan pemohonan maaf yang jelas kepada plaintif dalam terma yang diluluskan oleh plaintif di Lembaran akaun Facebook defendan, forum awam Facebook dan di dua (2) surat khabar kebangsaan dalam Bahasa Inggeris dan Cina pilihan plaintif pada tarikh, saiz, dan mukasurat yang dikehendaki oleh plaintif;

e) Defendan dikehendaki membayar kos sejumlah sebanyak RM40,000.00 (Ringgit Malaysia Empat Puluh Ribu Sahaja) kepada plaintif; dan

f) Faedah pada kadar 5% setahun atas semua awad yang diberikan oleh Mahkamah yang Mulia ini dari tarikh penghakiman sehingga keseluruhan jumlah tersebut dan faedah dibayar oleh defendan kepada plaintif.

Factual Matrix

[7] The plaintiff is a subsidiary of LYC Healthcare Berhad and operates a confinement centre.

[8] The defendant is Thien Seea Vuen's husband (Thien). Thien was a customer of the plaintiff who stayed at the plaintiff's centre for 28 days under the confinement package from 15 December 2020 to 11 January 2021 following her delivery.

[9] The defendant has a Facebook account under the name Darl Ling with 2,600 followers.

[10] The defendant alleged that on 8 January 2021, his wife suffered food poisoning after consuming food prepared at the plaintiff's centre on 7 January 2021. He brought his wife to KMI Desa Medical Centre, where it was revealed that his wife had been infected with typhoid and/or food poisoning. His wife was admitted to Sunway Velocity Hospital for treatment. Thereafter, his wife did not return to the confinement centre.

[11] The defendant wrote an email to the plaintiff on 9 January 2021. The plaintiff conducted an investigation that included sending a food sample to the test lab, and the result was negative. On 19 January 2021, the plaintiff's Operations Manager responded to the defendant's complaint. The plaintiff also informed the defendant of the result and stated that no complaints were received from the other 15 mothers in the same centre who had the same food as the defendant's wife.

[12] The defendant, via his Facebook account at URL https://www.face book.com/ling.yexiang, posted and published statements that the plaintiff alleges to b