CANADA
Georgia Straight
by Carlito Pablo on June 22nd, 2015
A lawyer has accused John Furlong of not wanting to see his defamation suit against a journalist tried in court because he was afraid more people would come forward and testify that he allegedly abused them.
Bryan Baynham—counsel for Laura Robinson, author of an in-depth article published by the Georgia Straight about Furlong’s previously undisclosed early years in Canada and the abuses he allegedly committed at that time against First Nations students—said today (June 22) in B.C. Supreme Court that the former Vancouver Olympics CEO was interested only in litigating the matter in the court of public opinion.
Baynham offered a possible reason why: “Mr. Furlong, you never wanted to appear before the 30 individuals that have been named in the response to evidence in court, isn’t that right?”
Furlong, who was alleged to have racially taunted and physically abused students in eight sworn statements gathered by Robinson for the Straight story, denied this was the case.
“It’s not right. I just gave you the reason we did it,” Furlong responded.
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