Denis’s lawyers said they will appeal the decision, claiming Sauvageau made comments to media outside of court
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A decision on what punishment ex-justice minister Jonathan Denis could face for being found in contempt of court has been put off until an expedited appeal is heard by Alberta’s highest court.
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Last week, the Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Doreen Sulyma ruled that Denis attempted to intimidate Alberta’s former chief medical examiner, Dr. Anny Sauvageau, when he sent her lawyer a letter in the midst of her wrongful dismissal trial.
The letter, sent by a junior lawyer with Denis’s Calgary law firm, accused Sauvageau of defaming Denis in her privileged testimony. Sauvageau’s lawyer said the letter raised the specter of a lawsuit and was intended to cause a “chilling” effect on his client of him.
Sulyma agreed, calling the letter an “act of intimidation.” She assured Sauvageau that her comments about her in court are protected.
Denis’s lawyers said they will appeal the decision, claiming Sauvageau made comments to media outside of court. Sauvageau said in a sworn statement that she has not spoken directly with the media since leaving the medical examiner’s office in 2014.
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Planned Appeal
On Thursday, lawyer Brendan Miller told court that Denis will ask the Alberta Court of Appeal to stay Sulyma’s contemplated finding.
He said a single justice of the appeal court is slated to hear arguments on the case May 4, and that in such cases, the court usually is “very quick” in reaching a decision.
Miller said he expected to be able to set a date for a possible penalty hearing sometime after May 11.
Contempt of court carries ranging from conditional sentences to fines to imprisonment.
Meanwhile, Sauvageau was slated to spend the remainder of the day under cross examination by a lawyer for the Government of Alberta, the sole remaining defendant in the $7.5 million lawsuit.
Sauvageau claims her contract as Alberta’s top forensic pathologist was not renewed in 2014 because she stood up to political interference in her office.
The trial of her lawsuit began April 1 and is scheduled to last 38 days.
—with files from Madeline Smith