CANADA
Hamilton Spectator
By Laura Kane
VANCOUVER — A journalist’s articles about former Vancouver Olympics boss John Furlong were an attack on his reputation, a judge has ruled in a scathing decision tossing her defamation lawsuit.
Laura Robinson reported allegations by eight First Nations people that Furlong abused them more than 40 years ago without verifying their stories or ensuring they weren’t contaminating each others’ memories, the judge found.
“Ms. Robinson’s publications concerning Mr. Furlong cannot be fairly characterized as the reporting of other persons’ allegations against him,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Catherine Wedge wrote in a decision released Friday.
“Rather, the publications constitute an attack by Ms. Robinson on Mr. Furlong’s character, conduct and credibility.”
Robinson had accused Furlong of publicly portraying her as unethical, heartless and cruel in an attempt to discredit her 2012 article published in the Georgia Straight.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.