Former UBC professor launches defamation suit over unproven assault claims
Steven Galloway, a former tenured professor at the University of British Columbia, began a defamation trial in BC Supreme Court after being accused of sexual assault that were later deemed unsubstantiated.
A defamation lawsuit filed by former University of British Columbia professor Steven Galloway commenced today in the BC Supreme Court. Galloway, who once chaired the university's creative writing program, contends that online rumors alleging he sexually assaulted a student were false and led to his termination, despite never being charged. A subsequent investigation by former judge Mary Ellen Boyd concluded the accusations lacked evidence.
The defendants, among them an individual known only as A.B. and several online commentators, sought to defend the allegations as protected expression, a stance the High Court dismissed as potentially eliminating legal repercussions for calling someone a rapist. Chelsea Rooney, one of the named defendants, posted an extensive apology, expressing remorse for her contribution to Galloway's suffering.
