Online cults can draw in people who never signed up. W5’s Avery Haines takes you inside the Honolulu courtroom where three Saskatchewan residents faced a defamation suit from spiritual influencer Liana Shanti. They had relatives in her community, and they filed a claim of their own.
Shanti believed the three Canadians were behind online posts criticizing her. Haines traces how those posts and Shanti’s public accusations against the Canadians turned into a four-year court fight that cost them hundreds of thousands in legal bills.
Listen for what happened when the jury started reading the awards. Haines thought the first figure would cover the Canadians’ legal bills. Then the jury kept going.
Topics: Liana Shanti, Saskatchewan families, online criticism, defamation countersuit, jury awards
GUEST: Avery Haines | https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialW5/
Originally aired on2026-11-06
