Law360 Canada ( July 3, 2018, 8:35 AM EDT) -- Appeal by the plaintiff, Kent, from a costs award payable by the defendants, Martin, and various corporate media entities. The plaintiff was a former journalist who earned an international reputation during the Iraq War. He subsequently entered politics for the Alberta Progressive Conservative Party. During the 2008 provincial election campaign, Martin, a regular columnist for Alberta and national newspapers, wrote an article described as a devastating attack against the plaintiff. The article suggested that the plaintiff was politically naïve, arrogant, doomed to be ineffective, with an overall tone that was harshly critical. The trial judge found that Martin's testimony regarding the article was unreliable, and the media defendants' explanation for refusing to publish a rebuttal penned by the plaintiff was unreasonable. The trial judge found that the article contained several defamatory statements unsupported by any reliable source. Some of the statements were exaggerations. Some of the statements were untrue. No malice was proven. The plaintiff was awarded damages totaling $200,000 and costs of $250,000. The plaintiff appealed the costs award....