Former Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston candidate Chelsea Hillier has been ordered by a Superior Court Justice to pay over $90,000 for defaming Esther Post, an English professor at Carleton University.
Hillier is the daughter of Randy Hillier, a former PC MPP elected in 2018 who became an Independent after being ousted from caucus in 2019.
According to the judgment, Post and Hillier became friends in 2008 at Carleton while Hillier was an undergraduate and Post was a graduate student. They became so close that Hillier attended Post’s wedding, but the friendship deteriorated in 2020 “over political differences.”
Hillier responded to a tweet from Post in November of 2021 that criticized Hillier and her father’s anti-vaccine stances which kicked off several tweets from Hillier, including allegations, which Post argues are all false, that she had dated students at Carleton and “fed them Ativan in parking lots.”
The judgment, from Justice Sally Gomery, was issued with Hillier choosing not to defend. The case summary notes that, although Hillier was served in January 2022, by not responding with a defence, Gomery issued a default judgment.
Gomery, ruling in Post’s favour, wrote in the judgment that Hillier’s “obvious glee at the damage she was causing to a former friend is both sad and outrageous.”
“(Hillier) weaponized her Twitter accounts for vengeful and vindictive behaviour,” Gomery wrote.
Gomery ruled that Hillier must compensate Post for $75,000 for “general and aggravated damages,” $10,000 for “punitive damages” and court orders requiring Hillier to post a retraction on Twitter for 60 days, to remove any content about Post and refrain from posting any more “false, defamatory, or otherwise disparaging information” about Post.
Post’s lawyer, Andréa Baldy, had argued for an apology from Hillier as well, but Gomery ruled that forcing Hillier to post an apology would be “an insincere acknowledgement of the harm she has inflicted,” and that Post’s “vindication is this judgment and retraction.”
Baldy, in an interview with QP Briefing, said Hillier had been notified twice of her lack of defence and would need to provide an excuse for the judge to buy on why she didn’t present a defence to contest the ruling.
Hillier’s absence from the trial also doesn’t shield her from the consequences of Gomery’s ruling. On the payment of damages and Post’s legal costs, Hillier could have her wages garnished or have her property seized if she doesn’t comply, Baldy explained. Similarly, Baldy added, for the court orders for a retraction and barring Hillier from tweeting about Post again, non-compliance could be brought to a judge to declare Hillier in contempt, resulting in financial penalties or imprisonment.
Baldy also said that Gomery’s order of a retraction from Hillier was noteworthy, as judges tend to refrain from forcing a retraction or apology in defamation cases. “The fact that in this case Ms. Post was awarded a retraction will serve to restore her reputation and is actually it's an achievement as well,” Baldy said.
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Chelsea Hillier (Instagram)
Hillier first ran for office in the 2021 federal election, contesting Elgin—Middlesex—London for the People's Party. She got nearly 12 per cent of the vote, but still came in fourth behind the three legacy parties.
She ran again during the 2022 Ontario election, this time for the upstart Populist Party. She ran in Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston — held by her father from 2007 to 2022 — but got less than one per cent of the vote and finished a distant seventh.
Randy Hillier sat as a PC MPP until he was booted from caucus in 2019, following disrespectful comments made to parents of children with autism. He continued to court controversy during the pandemic for his anti-mask, anti-vaccine, and anti-lockdown sentiments.
After a June 2020 rally at Queen's Park protesting lockdown measures, Premier Doug Ford called him "totally irresponsible." He was also reprimanded by Kingston public health officials for spreading misinformation.
Throughout the pandemic, Randy Hillier flaunted public health rules and posted misinformation online, leading to eight separate charges for violation the Reopening Ontario Act. He was also an active participant in the "Freedom Convoy" protests.
In February, Randy Hillier was sanctioned by legislature, which asked the Speaker not to recognize him unless he published an apology. He didn't, and chose not to run under another party banner for the 2022 election.
The elder Hillier is facing his own legal troubles as well. He was charged for alleged crimes committed during the Freedom Convoy protests, and include various counts of mischief, obstruction and assaulting an officer.
READ MORE: <a href="https://www.qpbriefing.com/2022/03/28/mpps-unlikely-to-remove-hillier-despite-fresh-convoy-charges/">MPPs unlikely to remove Hillier despite fresh convoy charges</a>

Chelsea Hillier ordered to pay over $90,000 in defamation case

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