"A human resource issue" Chief Clunis? Surely that's not an April Fool's Day joke!

Good Day Readers:

Veteran Winnipeg Free Press crime/court reporter Mike McIntyre first broke this story back in late October of 2014.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/Officer-under-investigation-for-sexual-harassment-sues-police-force-city-279842572.html

It had all the elements of a C grade movie which immediately whet CyberSmokeBlog's appetite.. Since no charges had been laid at the time no names were released. Ditto for a parallel article on the CBC Manitoba webpage. And so began CyberSmokeBlog's circuitous, tortuous journey of discovery finally culminating the other day (about 5-months later) when perchance CSB ran into Mr. McIntyre at The Law Courts. Suffice it to say (for now), the claims you have an open court system were sharply drawn into focus.

Now armed with a copy of the file, in its grubbly little hands, CSB can talk with some certainty. Recall how it was announced last week the two police officers who stopped Tina Fontaine a couple days before she was murdered did not turn her over to Child and Family Services of which she was a ward. Further, at the time she was a passenger in a car driven by a man who appeared to be impaired. He was deposited at the drunk tank but never charged.

The Mother of All Defamation Lawsuits?

According to filings, the Plaintiffs are a husband and wife team - he a Sergeant with the Winnipeg Police Service/ she a firefighter employed by the Winnipeg Fire Department. The Defendant is a lower lever Winnipeg Police Officer who's wife is also employed by the Police Department and referenced in the documentation.IF this goes to trial look for the City and it's Police Department to engage the city's most expensive lawyer(s).

CyberSmokeBlog will regularly check with Queen's Bench File Registry to ascertain whether there've been any more big, fat, juicy salacious filings.

This litigation also begs the question should this litigation go to trial can the spouses of both husbands be compelled to attend an Examination for Discovery and forced to testify at trial? As you can appreciate there will be a huge difference between having the matter resolved through internal Police Department disciplinary action versus an attendant trial in open court with all the dirty laundry getting washed.

Sincerely,
Clare L. Pieuk