Canada: man sues accuser over false rape claim, says rumour mill forced him into 'hiding'

Story here. Excerpt:

'A young British Columbia man who claims his life was ruined by gossip about a false rape claim has won the right to sue his accuser for defamation, in a rare case of a sexual-assault complainant being held legally liable for her statement to police.

Simon Caron, who works in the oil patch as a leasehand, was cleared of the rape claim when he showed he was hundreds of kilometres away at the time, and could prove it with receipts and other records. No charges were laid. But as he describes it in his defamation claim against the complainant, who is a minor represented by a litigation guardian, the rumour mill “is still circulating.”

The gossip was merciless and long-lasting, he claims, escalating into vandalism of his vehicle and threats of violence against himself and his friends. It became so bad Caron fled his home in Vanderhoof, B.C., to go into “hiding” in Prince George. He claims he required treatment for depression and missed employment opportunities. Several months after the complaint, he filed a lawsuit for defamation and malicious prosecution.
...
The complainant in this case “circulated horrible rumours about a rape that never occurred, and even claimed that SHE had dropped the criminal charges,” Caron’s statement of claim reads. “At that point my life was in danger … My vehicle was sabotaged, a friend of mine was threatened to be hurt if he was to be seen in my presence. … The rumour including names is still circulating, so that my brother Adam heard of it in his welding class in Fort St. James in December 2013.”

This decision, which restrains the use of absolute privilege as a defamation defence, follows a similar ruling in Ontario that statements made by municipal councillors in a council meeting are likewise protected by a privilege that is qualified, not absolute.'