Podcast couple wins defamation suit against rival over incest claims

Article content

The couple was seeking $150,000 in damages, but ended up getting a considerably smaller award of $25,000.

Article content

Their original claim included $50,000 in damages for their son, which Goodman waived entirely.

Article content

The decision noted the original stream was only viewed live by just over 100 people, adding that it didn’t have any measurable impact on the growth of Northern Perspective’s subscriber base.

Article content

The Northern Perspective YouTube channel had approximately 154,000 subscribers in March 2025 and has more than 240,000 subscribers today.

Article content

Goodman wrote there were substantially more people who heard the defamatory claims from the Davies’ decision to publicly comment on them, including on their podcast, than from Butts himself.

Article content

James Kitchen, the couple’s lawyer, said that while he’s happy to have won the case, the judge’s reasoning sets a worrying precedent.

Article content

“The judge really took a strong position on the issue of rebroadcasting. There’s this idea that, as soon as you mention the defamatory thing someone said about you, you somehow lessen it,” said Kitchen.

Article content

“That puts people in a no-win situation because, if you want to refute the bad thing they said, you have to say what it was.”

Article content

Article content

Kitchen said the fact the Davies have a much larger audience than Butts was irrelevant to the case.

Article content

“Having the bigger platform shouldn’t mean they should have to sit there silently, letting this guy say these horrendous things about them, until they can finally get their day in court,” said Kitchen.

Article content

Kitchen added that while he didn’t agree with every point in the decision, the case still showed there’s a viable process for dealing with bad behaviour on social media through the court system.

Article content

“Our court system isn’t great, but it’s far superior to anything else we have to adjudicate disputes,” said Kitchen.

Article content

Kitchen said he was skeptical of the federal Liberal government’s efforts to police so-called “online harms” by placing more government oversight on social media.

Article content

The lawsuit created a noticeable rift among right-leaning content creators, with several prominent conservative influencers posting messages of support for Butts.

Article content

Clyde Do Something, a Canadian conservative content creator who now lives in Texas, says that he’s worried about a rise in frivolous lawsuits over hurt feelings.

Article content

Article content

“This could have a chilling effect on online discourse and open discussion – the very freedom of expression that many of these offended commentators claim to champion,” he said.

Article content

He added that he’s been personally threatened with lawsuits over his digital content.

Article content

Northern Perspective is well known among conservatives online. The program interviewed federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre last October. That appearance led to a headache for the leader when he said on the show that the leadership of the RCMP was “despicable” for the way it handled Liberal government scandals.

Article content

National Post
[email protected]

Article content

Article content