Can I put an ad in the paper asking for people to step forward with complaints about a veterinary clinic?

Question

I'm asking if this is legally safe.. The deal is there is this vet in my town and they really do NOT have the best interest of the animals at heart they lie, and cheat people out of their money, they caused the death of my cat through their incompetence and there is a long list of complaints from me and a few people I know. I tried to lodge a complaint before but they said I couldn't due to the basis of my complaint. Well now I have more, and I want to get as much as possible on them before I try again.. So my question is is it legally safe to put an ad in the paper asking other pet owners to come forward with their stories about this animal hospital?? I want at least 10 other people to back me up on this, and I know they are out there.. the vet out of town said that they had to expand their practice just to accomodate unsatisfied customers from this unethical vet clinic in my town..

Answer 1

Sure you can do this, but it's worth noting this will cost you money, probably quickly surpassing the $400 at issue.

You need to be VERY careful that you just ask for people to come forward.  If you make ANY claims at all, you risk being sued for libel, and I'm pretty sure they have more money for lawyers than you do.  A simple request for information, no claims of ANY wrongdoing.

Incidentally, it should be pointed out perhaps that it is NOT always possible to place an IV in a cat (teeny veins).  If the vet made best efforts to help your cat, you won't win a lawsuit.  In Canada, you need to show gross negligence before you can get a judgment.  You'd have to be prepared to show that a reasonably competent vet should have been able to save the cat.  VERY difficult.