Reply To: Hilchos Shmiras Haloshon

I don’t have the sefer to look it up, and it’s not in hebrewbooks but I will try to find it when I have a chance, so I can see what he sees.

In any case, according to the Chofetz Chaim, even if someone is not in the category of “amisecha” it is still only permitted to speak L”H about him under certain conditions (which are usually not fulfilled). So even if Rav Chaim Kanievsky did in fact say that, that is probably what he meant.