The man, named in the lawsuit as “Mr D”, was made redundant by
his employers SA Sage France for use of the telephone and internet
for non-work related purposes as well as displaying a lack of
respect for his boss.
Three days later, Mr D created a web site which contained
negative remarks about the managers at SA Sage France. He then
e-mailed his ex-colleagues at the company inviting them to view the
site.
Under French law, action which causes damage to a third party
must be repaired, provided a link between the damage suffered and
the actual action can be established. The judge ruled that Mr D’s
actions were damaging, by inviting his ex-colleagues to view his
site, the content of which was “clearly defamatory.”
Mr D was ordered to pay symbolic compensation of one franc (ten
pence) and to place notice of the decision on his web site and in
two different newspapers of the company’s choice.
