Two trolls, a Tinder match and a VERY expensive Facebook post: Keyboard warriors are ordered to pay wedding planner $150,000 over online slurs after a bizarre set of events - as lawyers warn EVERYONE: 'Think before you post'
Stacey Lee Isaac was the owner and administrator of a bridal Facebook page with more than 1000 followers where most of the defamatory comments were made
A wedding planner has won a 'landmark' court case against keyboard warriors who made defamatory comments about her business on social media.
Tristan Moy, 33, from Brisbane, moved to Indonesia in 2014 to run a business arranging Bali weddings for Australian tourists.
But she endured 'hurt and humiliation' when two Australian women began posting salacious comments about her on Facebook in 2017.
They included accusations Ms Moy was unprofessional, bullies her clients and would try ruin her client's weddings.
Those women were makeup artist Stacey Lee Isaac, 33, from Notting Hill in Victoria and single mother of-two Kellie Maree Smith, 32, from Mount Tambourine in Queensland.
The pair have been ordered to pay a combined $150,000 for the 10 Facebook posts taking aim at Ms Moy's business.
During the defamation hearing Ms Moy argued that Ms Smith launched the attack to help Ms Isaac's emerging wedding planning business.
But Ms Isaac has denied those allegations, instead claiming Ms Moy was suing her because she had matched with Ms Moy's then–husband on Tinder.
Wedding planner Tristan Moy, 33, has won a 'landmark' court case against keyboard warriors who made defamatory comments about her business on social media
Tristan Moy, 33, from Brisbane, moved to Indonesia in 2014 to run a business arranging Bali weddings for Australian tourists
Ms Isaac was the owner and administrator of a bridal Facebook page with more than 1,000 followers, which is where most of the defamatory comments were made, reported the Sunday Mail.
She worked as a makeup artist in Melbourne and ran three businesses 'Bali Edge', 'Illuminating Moments Bali' and Bali Snaps Photobook'.
One day she shared a post criticising Ms Moy's business.
'I know I for sure wouldn't hire someone to plan my wedding day who would sabotage another brides wedding day,' she wrote.
She also implied the wedding planner had gotten Ms Isaac deported from Bali.
While a post by Ms Smith directly accused Ms Moy of ruining her own wedding, by trying to get the venue cancelled.
This was despite Ms Smith not having used Ms Moy's wedding planning services.
Ms Isaac posted a total of four defamatory posts on the Facebook group between 2017 and 2018, even after the lawsuit was filed. While Ms Smith made seven posts.
The pair were ordered to pay the scorned wedding planner $150,000 after a ruling by Magistrate John Smith on Monday.
Ms Smith said there was no way' she could afford to pay the $50,000 plus $9,750 interest for her part in the saga.
Single mother of-two Kellie Maree Smith, 32, from Mount Tambourine in Queensland was ordered pay $50,000 plus $9750 interest for defamatory comments
She made seven posts about Ms Moy's wedding business, including one accusing her of trying to ruin her own wedding by getting her venue cancelled
She said it would send her bankrupt.
While Ms Isaac said she 'felt sick to her stomach' after hearing she had to pay $100,000 in damages over the incident.
The makeup artist endured a harsher penalty because she had made another defamatory post in 2018 after the lawsuit was lodged.
But Ms Isaac plans to appeal the ruling after admitting the harsh penalty would make her lose everything.
'I don't think its fair that my life is going to be destroyed over this,' she told the Sunday Mail.
She also accused the wedding planner of suing her because she had matched with her then-husband on Tinder.
But Ms Isaac plans to appeal the ruling after admitting the harsh penalty was going to make her lose everything. She also accused the wedding planner of suing her because she had matched with her then-husband on Tinder
In an affidavit Ms Moy described how humiliating it had been to read the posts on Facebook
In an affidavit Ms Moy said she was 'devastated' to hear the posts about her, and described how humiliating it had been to read the posts on Facebook.
'To them it was all a joke, they did not take it seriously,' she said.
Ms Moy's solicitor, Australian Law Partners' Duke Myrteza, said the case is a warning to keyboard warriors about what they say online.
'I expect there will be many more cases involving Facebook posts before our courts in the future,' he said.
'This case is a clear warning to everybody who uses Facebook or other social media platforms that anything defamatory you post online can have serious consequences.'
It comes after the daughter of rugby league legend Mark Geyer won a defamation on Friday over false claims she had featured in a high profile sex tape.
The daughter of rugby league legend Mark Geyer, Montanna Geyer, 24, (pictured together) won a defamation on Friday over false claims she had featured in a high profile sex tape.
Montanna Geyer, 24, was slandered by aspiring journalist and sports fan Fouad Ghosn, 24, on the NRL Memes Facebook page.
The page wrongly claimed in March 2019 Ms Geyer was the woman in a sex video with player Tyrone May.
But a jury found otherwise on Friday evening - with Mark Geyer telling Daily Mail Australia his daughter's name had been cleared.
'It's a line in the sand,' Geyer said.
'Every action has a reaction and you can't just say things about people behind a keyboard and get away with it.'