Wineland-Thomson Adventures v. Doe-1 CA1/3

Background The complaint alleges that Doe used a website named “WEEBLY” to accuse Thomson and its principals of engaging in the beating of children and adults, illegally confiscating property, refusing to allow local inhabitants access to water sources, confining and starving members of the local Tanzanian community, burning homes, and bribing police and other government officials, all of which Thomson alleges is false and libelous on its face. 3 The complaint further alleges that these statements encourage visitors to avoid travelling with Thomson and instead to travel with other tour companies (that Thomson elsewhere suggests are the true party or parties behind the website), and that the false statements were made “willfully, maliciously and deliberately attempt[ing] to deprive [Thomson] of the ability to compete in the tour industry.” Thomson alleges that it has been damaged by a resulting loss of reputation and of business and the need to incur additional offsetting expenses. The record in support of and opposition to the special motion to strike contains several pages from the Stop Thomson Safaris website in which the allegedly false statements are made either explicitly or…