The former creative-writing student who accused best-selling novelist and then-professor Steven Galloway of sexual assault threatened to sue the University of British Columbia for up to $3-million, claiming negligence by the school and other offences.
asserted
who → accuse → school
The B.C. Supreme Court heard Thursday that the university had already given the woman a bursary after graduating worth $30,000, money that Mr. Galloway testified Thursday the woman was not entitled to.
asserted
woman → hear → that
Mr. Galloway, who was the chair of the school’s creative-writing program, launched a defamation case against almost two dozen defendants.
asserted
who → launch → defendants
He claims that their allegations that he sexually assaulted and harassed the woman ruined his reputation, cost him his job and destroyed his personal life.
uncertain
he → claim → life
The rest have settled with Mr. Galloway.
asserted
rest → settle → Galloway
The court heard about an April 7, 2016, e-mail from the woman’s then-lawyer, Joanna Birenbaum, to UBC’s associate vice-president of equity & inclusion, Sara-Jane Finlay.
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court → hear → equity
In it, Ms. Birenbaum thanks the school for its “very quick transfer of funds,” which Mr. Galloway said he found out in 2017 amounted to $30,000.
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he → thank → 30,000
The payment was first revealed during his arbitration with the school over his firing.
asserted
payment → reveal → firing
Mr. Galloway told the court he believed that the woman, his former lover, was not eligible for the money because she had already graduated.
asserted
she → tell → money
“There’s no academic reason to have given this,” he stated during questioning from his lawyer, Daniel Burnett.
asserted
he → ’ → lawyer
Court also heard that later in 2016, sometime in the middle of December, UBC’s general counsel Hubert Lai was involved in an e-mail discussion over the woman’s draft statement of claim to sue the school for up to $3-million for negligence, breach of contract and other reasons.
uncertain
counsel → hear → contract
It was not revealed in court Thursday what happened with her lawsuit threat.
asserted
what → reveal → threat
Arden Beddoes, lawyer for the woman who is known as A.B. because her identity is protected by a publication ban, objected to Mr. Galloway’s testimony about the internal UBC e-mails because he said it called for Mr. Galloway to speculate.
asserted
Galloway → know → mails
“The documents speak for themselves,” Mr. Beddoes said of the exhibits of internal UBC communications.
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Beddoes → speak → communications
But Mr. Burnett was allowed by the judge to pursue the discussion of financial compensation for A.B. because – if his client is awarded damages − it could point toward her malicious actions.
uncertain
it → allow → actions
“The communications by or on behalf of A.B. getting and seeking money out of UBC is arising from the very thing that is the defamation,” he said.
asserted
he → get → thing
A.B. is not testifying and, at the start of the trial, Mr. Beddoes told the court that she was withdrawing her defences of truth and fair comment – but not admitting that she spread lies about her former romantic partner.
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she → testify → partner
Mr. Beddoes said she had tried to kill herself twice in recent months because of the stress of the ordeal.
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she → say → ordeal
After the woman’s allegations surfaced in 2015, Mr. Galloway was suspended and then fired as head of UBC’s creative-writing program without severance due to breach of trust.
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Galloway → surface → trust
News of the incident spurred an online firestorm over the CanLit luminary’s rights to due process versus the rights of his alleged victim.
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News → spur → victim
A retired judge hired by the university to investigate the complaint found that, on a balance of probabilities, it could not be established that he committed sexual assault or assault.
uncertain
he → hire → assault
Mr. Galloway was never charged with a crime.
asserted
Galloway → charge → crime
Earlier Thursday, Mr. Burnett asked his client about the up to $1.5-million in total royalties he made from his 2008 international bestseller The Cellist of Sarajevo.
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he → ask → Sarajevo
Court heard that the book had been optioned for a movie adaptation, which never materialized.
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which → hear → adaptation
Mr. Galloway testified that he had signed a contract to produce three new books about a ventriloquist detective before the allegation surfaced and detonated his ability to continue as an author or be booked as a paid public speaker.
asserted
allegation → testify → speaker
He said his income from book royalties had since “cratered” to about $5,000 to $10,000 a year “tops,” and that he hasn’t received any invitations for speaking engagements.
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he → say → engagements
Mr. Galloway also testified that people who signed a letter criticizing the university’s handling of the misconduct case against him were subjected to “extremely hurtful” comments and suffered socially and professionally.
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who → testify → comments
The letter, known as “UBC Accountable,” was published in November, 2016, with signatories from the literary community, including Margaret Atwood, but Mr. Galloway said many removed their names after a wave of vitriolic online criticism.
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many → know → criticism
He said people lost jobs and friendships were ruined, and one signatory called him in tears, saying her daughter was never going to speak to her again.
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daughter → say → her
A number of friends, even those who believed in his innocence, would not talk to him any more because being associated with him would be “career suicide,” he said.
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he → believe → him
Mr. Galloway said that after he’d won an arbitration award from the university, he “briefly had the hope” that the social-media storm would subside, but the posts continued.
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posts → say → hope
He did not get his job back as part of the arbitration.
asserted
He → get → arbitration
“I wouldn’t have gone back for a million dollars a year to that place,” Mr. Galloway said.
asserted
Galloway → go → place
Mr. Galloway is due to be cross-examined by lawyers for the four defendants starting Friday.
asserted
Galloway → cros → defendants
The Aporia
