Small claims, big vindication

And it ain't over yet

ABOVE THE FOLD

There’s a rift in the on-again-off-again bromance between Premier DOUG FORD and Prime Minister MARK CARNEY, and the Liberals meet today to decide on an interim leader — but first: We’ve got a decision on the defamation suit involving MP NATE ERSKINE-SMITH and pollster QUITO MAGGI.

First in Observer — I got my hands on the judge’s decision in the long-simmering Grit grudge match — (get the context here…even more…and then some) — and let’s just say it’s a very Blue Monday for Mainstreet Research’s Maggi.

Deputy Small Claims Court Judge HANK WITTEVEEN just dropped a 10-page reality check, ordering Maggi to pay federal MP and would-be provincial Liberal leadership contender NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH $25,000 in damages for defamation.

The verdict: The case boiled down to a 2023 tweet where Maggi alleged that during a 2014 nomination race in Beaches-East York, NES personally “canvassed...households and told people that their permanent residency status would be impacted if they tr…