TikTok post cost Melbourne homeowner $1 million in damages
A homeowner must pay $883,000 in damages for a TikTok post. Legal costs will push the total beyond $1 million.
Gurvinderpal Singh posted a Punjabi-language TikTok criticising Singh Homes. This followed a dispute over his house construction in west Melbourne.
The video reached around 220,000 people, mostly in the Indian community. A jury found the video made damaging claims about the directors.
Singh could not prove these claims were true. Singh Homes said around 12 prospective customers backed out after the accusations spread.
Singh Homes was awarded $673,000 in damages. Each director received $105,000.
Legal costs and interest are expected to push his total liability beyond $1 million.
- $673,000
- Damages awarded to company
- $105,000 each
- Damages per director
- Around 220,000
- Video views
- Approximately 12
- Lost prospective customers
Why it mattersIt shows the serious money risk of making unproven accusations against businesses on social media.
AustraliaAustralians sharing critical posts about businesses on social media face potential defamation liability if claims can't be proven.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
