The Ontario Superior Court has ordered a former University of Ottawa professor to pay 85 per cent of the university’s legal fees, as well those of the professor suing him for defamation.
Joanne St. Lewis is suing former colleague Denis Rancourt for libel after inflammatory comments on his blog “UofO Watch” on her professional relationship with UOttawa president Allan Rock.
In one post, Rancourt referred to St. Lewis as a “house negro” to Rock. The defamation suit was originally filed by St. Lewis in June 2011.
No trial date has been set due to various procedural motions that had been filed, Rancourt said. Procedural motions raise questions about issues within the case for decision before the case can proceed.
Lawyers for St. Lewis and the university wanted Rancourt to pay the full legal fees because they felt Rancourt’s motions were not brought forth in good faith, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
Rancourt said the judge in question, Robert Beaudoin, should take himself off the case because his family partially funded a scholarship at the University of Ottawa.
St. Lewis’ lawyers felt Rancourt’s complaint that the judge was biased to be a form of “judge shopping,” according to the Citizen.
Rancourt, who is representing himself, filed an application for his case to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada on Jan. 4.
The application arises because his complaint of judicial bias was “not heard on its merits” in the lower court, according to Rancourt.
