The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed a bid to appeal by accusers of former University of British Columbia writing professor and novelist Steven Galloway, paving the way for his defamation case against them to go to trial.
Galloway sued several people in B.C. Supreme Court in 2018, alleging he was defamed with false sexual assault allegations by fellow professors, a former student and others who repeated the statements on social media and elsewhere.
Galloway香蕉视频直播檚 lawyer, Dan Burnett, said Thursday that the high court香蕉视频直播檚 decision was a 香蕉视频直播渞elief香蕉视频直播� to his client, who wants to 香蕉视频直播渃lear his name香蕉视频直播� after more than five years of legal wrangling trying to get his defamation lawsuit to trial.
香蕉视频直播淪teven can finally move his case forward to a trial and have his claim heard,香蕉视频直播� Burnett said. 香蕉视频直播淗e香蕉视频直播檚 a very determined man who has been badly wronged. He has stuck it out and he will stick it out to the end and have at long last his reputation finally cleared when the matter gets finally to a trial where the truth can properly come out.香蕉视频直播�
Galloway is the author of novels including 香蕉视频直播淭he Cellist of Sarajevo香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淭he Confabulist香蕉视频直播�.
He was also the chair of the creative writing program at UBC, but was suspended and later fired after the allegations against him emerged.
Thursday香蕉视频直播檚 ruling by Canada香蕉视频直播檚 high court, which also awarded Galloway costs, effectively upholds a B.C. appeal court finding in January that the alleged defamatory statements were not protected by the province香蕉视频直播檚 Protection of Public Participation Act.
The appeals had hinged on B.C.香蕉视频直播檚 law against 香蕉视频直播渟trategic lawsuits香蕉视频直播� which aim to 香蕉视频直播渟ilence or deter香蕉视频直播� commentary on matters of public interest.
Burnett said getting Galloway香蕉视频直播檚 case to trial is now a priority after clearing the high court.
His client香蕉视频直播檚 reputation had been 香蕉视频直播渄evastated香蕉视频直播� by the allegations and 香蕉视频直播渢he legal process is how you address that,香蕉视频直播� he said.
香蕉视频直播淪teven香蕉视频直播檚 reputation and life were devastated by criminal allegations that most of us, I think, could not even imagine having to suffer through,香蕉视频直播� Burnett said.
B.C. Supreme Court judge Elaine Adair had ruled in December 2021 against arguments by former student Chelsea Rooney that accusations of sexual assault must be protected speech, true or not, and 香蕉视频直播渞egardless of the circumstances in which the statement was published.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭here would be no legal consequences of any kind attached to publicly calling someone a rapist, completely outside of any formal reporting, and no obligation ever to prove the statement was true,香蕉视频直播� Adair said.
A three-judge panel of the B.C. Court of Appeal then agreed with Adair香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渃ompelling reasons,香蕉视频直播� saying she had been 香蕉视频直播渨ell aware of the public interest and the importance of encouraging reporting of sexual offences.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淪he also recognized that there cannot be an absolute protection surrounding the makers of such statements, regardless of the circumstances or the truth,香蕉视频直播� the appeal court found.
The appeal court found Rooney香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渂arrage of tweets alleging misconduct香蕉视频直播� against Galloway hindered his 香蕉视频直播渙pportunity to rehabilitate his reputation.香蕉视频直播�
Lawyers for the defendants Rooney, Keith Maillard, Annabel Lyon, Marcelle Kosman, Mandi Gray, Kiera Anderson, Ari Rombough and a former student identified as A.B. whose name is protected by a publication ban, did not immediately provide responses on behalf of their clients.
