Law Of Defamation and How It Applies in Strata Communities

Speaker:

Mrs. Saraswathy Shirke Deo
Principal & Founder of
Messrs Sara Deo & Co.

Sara Deo, LLB (Hons) London, CLP, MBA (Delhi), PCrt [edX] Contract Law (Harvard Law School), is the Principal and Founder of Messrs Sara Deo & Co, a boutique law firm. With a career spanning academia and legal practice, she brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her clients.

Sara Deo began her career as a principal lecturer in law in 1999 teaching law students in various law colleges and university, offering UK and Australian law programmes. In 2013, she transitioned to the practice of law, where she worked alongside consultants and senior litigators, focusing on complex appellate matters involving significant legal questions at the Court of Appeal and Federal Court.

She currently practices under her own boutique law firm, Messrs. Sara Deo & Co, where she mainly acts as Counsel, specialising in Strata and Management laws, Law of Defamation, Professional Negligence, Administrative law, Injunctions, and Commercial law.

She has published several articles in local law journals and actively participates in law reform efforts related to her specific areas of expertise. Currently, she serves as the chair lady of the Malaysian Bar’s Defamation Law Reform Subcommittee of the Civil Law and Law Reform Committee. She is known for her engaging style of delivering lectures and talks, simplifying intricate legal concepts in a crisp and understandable manner. With her strong academic foundation, extensive practical experience, and commitment to law reform, Sara Deo is a highly respected and sought-after legal professional in Malaysia.

Overview of Seminar
Practically, every strata community has experienced digital transformation in Malaysia. Online payment of charges, service of documents via emails and sharing community-based updates or relevant content through social media or instant messaging services such as WhatsApp, Telegram or WeChat is now a norm.
The scope of the Strata Management Act 2013 and the Regulations therein does not extend to include regulations on online defamation or publication of defamatory content through instant messaging services.
This seminar is intended to promote a guideline on how to navigate through the practical challenges of online defamatory publications and strata management.
The discussion will evaluate the liability and defences for defamatory publications, secondary publications and republication of defamatory statements by individuals or the management in relation to strata community issues.
The seminar will also address important aspects of whether there is a duty on the management body to provide soft copies of notices of meetings, minutes of meetings, maintenance accounts, Agreements with service providers, By-laws and other information to proprietors.