After eight months of alleged online defamation, the man behind the blog 'Gangsterism Out' has been ordered to stop publishing content about the Sandher family – owners of an orchard and fruit packing facility in and around Kelowna.
The family who owns and operates Sandher Fruit Packers Ltd., filed a civil claim in the Supreme Court of BC against Daryl Grant MacAskill, the man behind what the family calls "a campaign of defamation and harassment," which has spanned months.
Bir Singh Sandher, Gurtaj Singh Sandher, and Prabtaj Singh Sandher are the suit's plaintiffs and MacAskill is named as the sole defendant.
In addition to payment for damages caused by "defamation and emotional damage" stemming from the posts, the Sandhers have also requested that an order be imposed, prohibiting the publication of content relating to the family, before the resolution of the case.
On September 19, a Justice in the Supreme Court of B.C. granted an interim and interlocutory order stating that MacAskill – also known as Ace Ventura – must remove and stop writing posts or creating content about the Sandher family.
An interim interlocutory order means that the decision is not final and may be temporary. In this case, the decision was granted before the resolution of the civil suit as Sandher's claim to be experiencing harm stems from the continued posts written by MacAskill.
The Gangsterism Out blogger is a prolific publisher, often writing more than one story every day about alleged gang activity and crime across the province.
Since March 2024, the Sandhers have become one of the primary subjects of MacAskill's writing, with a section of the Gangsterism Out blog dedicated to the family. In the posts, MacAskill alleges that the Sandhers are involved in criminal gang activity.
The Sandher family alleges that they have been targeted "without apparent reason."
Before MacAskill began writing about them, the Sandher Packing plant had made headlines as a controversial business around Kelowna after being subject to multiple environmental fines for improper disposal of fruit packing effluent over a period of several years.
In the Gangsterism Out posts about the Sandhers, MacAskill alleges that the family is connected to gang activity, murders and other criminal behaviour.
The Justice found that the claims made by MacAskill were "not credible" and found that there is no indication that the Sandher family have a "poor reputation," relating to the allegations of gang activity.
Additionally, the Justice ruled that there is evidence of "irreparable harm" being caused by the posts.
"Absent an injunction, the respondent is likely to continue to publish," ruled the Justice.
MacAskill must now stop publication of and remove from Gangsterism Out, all material named in the lawsuit – specifically the allegations that the family is involved in gang activity.
The lawsuit has not yet been resolved and the proceedings are still before the court.
