Condo Board Members Protected by Qualified Privilege in Co-Owner’s Defamation Claim
In Square Lake Hills Assn v Garland, unpublished opinion of the Court of Appeals, Docket No. 350403, issued November, 12, 2020, the Michigan Court of Appeals upheld a ruling of the Oakland County Circuit Court that dismissed a defamation claim brought by a co-owner against a condominium association,individual board members and the management company on the basis that the allegedly defamatory statements were subject to a qualified privilege. As will be outlined below, it is often difficult for co-owners to succeed on defamation claims as many unflattering statements are not actionable.
