Former UBC professor’s defamation trial set to begin
Steven Galloway defamation trial begins in B.C. Supreme Court over assault claims See why the case could shape online speech, reputation, and accountability.
A trial is set to begin in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver involving author and former University of British Columbia professor Steven Galloway, who says he was defamed by false sexual assault accusations.
Galloway was once a tenured professor and chair of UBC’s creative writing program. He lost his job after rumours about the allegations spread online, although he was never charged. A later report prepared for the university by former judge Mary Ellen Boyd found the accusations were unsubstantiated.
The defendants, including the woman identified only as A.B. and others who repeated the claims online, brought the case to the Supreme Court of Canada, arguing their comments were protected speech. The court declined to hear the case, after a lower court said accepting that argument would leave public accusations of rape without legal consequences. One defendant, Chelsea Rooney, issued an apology to Galloway over the weekend.