The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) and B’nai Brith Canada have come to a settlement on a libel action filed by CUPW against B’nai Brith.
In 2018, CUPW sued B’nai Brith for suggesting that the union supported Palestinian terrorism in two newsletters and related Facebook posts. Per the settlement, B’nai Brith will take down the offending publications, and CUPW will receive “an undisclosed amount of money in lieu of damages.”
In a statement, B’nai Brith said it “has apologized for any harm these publications may have caused CUPW and its members. The Action will be dismissed on consent of all parties, without any admission of liability from any party.”
B’nai Brith first alleged that CUPW supported terrorism because it had cooperated in joint projects with the Palestinian Postal Service Workers Union. B’nai Brith called that union “a terror-supporting organization,” and also said it would “continue to hold institutions accountable for their links to terrorism and antisemitism.”
As a result, CUPW sued B’nai Brith for calling it terror-supporting and antisemitic.
B’nai Brith originally tried to have the case dismissed through Ontario’s anti-SLAPP legislation, which prevents lawsuits intended to stifle speech and legitimate criticism of matters in the public interest. However, both the Ontario Superior Court and the Court of Appeal ruled in favour of CUPW being allowed to continue with their libel suit.
When reached for a response, CUPW said they had no further comment.
