Case information
Conduct a refined search of the Supreme Court of Canada database to obtain details on the status of a matter before the Court.
41776
Joanne Vaughan v. Shawn Hamilton
(Ontario) (Civil) (By Leave)
Docket
Judgments on applications for leave to appeal are rendered by the Court, but are not necessarily unanimous.
| Date | Proceeding | Filed By (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-09 | Close file on Leave | |
| 2025-12-09 | Reconsideration not accepted for filing, Letter by the Registrar (sent by email) | |
| 2025-11-21 | Supplemental document, (Book Form), In support to the motion for reconsideration (Volume 6) | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-11-19 | Supplemental document, (Book Form), in support to the motion for reconsideration (Volumes 1-5) | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-11-13 | Letter acknowledging receipt of a complete motion for reconsideration | |
| 2025-11-06 | Motion for reconsideration of the application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Completed on: 2025-11-13, (Printed version due on 2025-11-14) | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-10-09 | Copy of formal judgment sent to Registrar of the Court of Appeal and all parties | |
| 2025-10-09 | Judgment on leave sent to the parties | |
| 2025-10-09 |
Judgment of the Court on the application for leave to appeal, The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Ontario, Number COA-23-CV-0317, 2025 ONCA 98, dated February 12, 2025, is dismissed. Dismissed |
|
| 2025-10-01 | Correspondence received from | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-09-08 | All materials on application for leave submitted to the Judges, for consideration by the Court | |
| 2025-08-29 |
Supplemental document, About update regarding developments in the related proceedings |
Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-07-25 | Supplemental document, Offer to settle | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-07-22 |
Correspondence received from, About update regarding developments in the related proceedings Missing: Proof of service (rec'd 2025-07-22) |
Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-06-26 | Correspondence received from, relating to application for judicial review of the Law Society of Ontario tribunal hearings | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-05-30 | Correspondence received from | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-04-29 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), 23A | Joanne Vaughan |
| 2025-04-29 | Letter acknowledging receipt of an incomplete application for leave to appeal, FILE OPENED | |
| 2025-04-04 |
Application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Missing: - Public access to information form (Rec 04-29-2025), Completed on: 2025-05-02 |
Joanne Vaughan |
Parties
Please note that in the case of closed files, the “Status” column reflects the status of the parties at the time of the proceedings. For more information about the proceedings and about the dates when the file was open, please consult the docket of the case in question.
Main parties
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Vaughan, Joanne | Applicant | Active |
v.
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Hamilton, Shawn | Respondent | Active |
Counsel
Party: Vaughan, Joanne
This party is not represented by counsel.
Party: Hamilton, Shawn
Counsel
100 Collier Street
P.O. Box 7700
Barrie, Ontario
L4M 4V3
Telephone: (705) 728-5591
Email: csalazar@stewartesten.ca
Summary
Keywords
Torts — Libel and slander — Anti-SLAPP legislation — Applicant applying to summarily dismiss respondent’s libel and slander action against her for comments she made on online platform — Courts below concluding applicant did not discharge onus of showing her comments related to matter of public interest — Whether Court of Appeal erred in the applicable standard of review to questions of fact — Whether Court of Appeal violated the duty of procedural fairness — Whether Court of Appeal gave proper effect to factual record — Whether Court of Appeal violated applicant’s Charter rights to equality, to freedom of expression and to fundamental justice and applicant’s rights as self-represented litigant — Courts of Justice Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.43, s. 137.1
Summary
Case summaries are prepared by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (Law Branch). Please note that summaries are not provided to the Judges of the Court. They are placed on the Court file and website for information purposes only.
The applicant, Ms. Vaughan, is a former client of the respondent, Mr. Hamilton, a lawyer. The solicitor-client relationship deteriorated, and ultimately Mr. Hamilton sued Ms. Vaughan in libel and slander in relation to comments Ms. Vaughan made about him on an online platform. Ms. Vaughan brought an anti-SLAPP motion to dismiss Mr. Hamilton’s claim. The motion judge found that the comments related to Ms. Vaughan’s private dispute. Therefore, Ms. Vaughan did not discharge her onus of proving that the comments related to a matter of public interest. She dismissed Ms. Vaughan’s motion. The Ontario Court of Appeal agreed with the motion judge that there was no public aspect to the comments. It dismissed the appeal.
Lower court rulings
Ontario Superior Court of Justice
Applicant’s anti-SLAPP motion dismissed
Court of Appeal for Ontario
COA-23-CV-0317, M54654
See file
Court of Appeal for Ontario
M54760
See file
See file
Applicant’s appeal dismissed
Filed documents
The memorandums of argument on an application for leave to appeal will be posted here 30 days after leave to appeal has been granted unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of the memorandum by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a memorandum of argument or want to use a memorandum of argument, please contact the author of the memorandum of argument directly. Their name appears at the end of the memorandum of argument. The contact information for counsel is found in the “Counsel” tab of this page.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The factums of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here at least 2 weeks before the hearing unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of factums by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a factum or want permission to use a factum, please contact the author of the factum directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each factum.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The condensed books of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here upon receipt of the electronic version, 2 days prior to the scheduled appeal hearing. You may also obtain copies of condensed books by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a condensed book or want permission to use a condensed book, please contact the author of the condensed book directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each condensed book.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available