From Life Mastery Network LLC v. Haygarth, decided May 22 by Judge Jill Otake (D. Haw.), but just posted on Westlaw:
Liane, who goes by Liana Shanti, founded her company, LMN, which is used to operate online educational courses that aim to improve students' businesses, lifestyles, and overall wellness. On Plaintiffs' website, Liane markets herself as a "world renowned thought leader in quantum energy healing, spiritual psychology, nutrition, emotional transformation, and feminine wealth[.]" She has more than 35,000 social media followers and more than 100,000 customers in 90 countries….
Defamatory statements about Plaintiffs started surfacing online around April 2022 after Haley began to speak out on her own social media accounts about abuse she allegedly experienced. Plaintiffs allege that Defendants have made false and damaging factual statements about Plaintiffs, including accusations of running a cult, human trafficking, extortion, fraud, and other misconduct. The statements that Plaintiffs claim are defamatory can be organized into three categories as described below. Specific statements will be included within the Court's analysis.
There's a lot going on in the opinion, which is >15K words long. But here's one particular item that's a bit out of the ordinary for a libel case; it's about defendant Paula Haygarth's counterclaims against plaintiff, on which Haygarth sought summary judgment:
