Lawyer Representing Three in Abuse Claim against John Furlong Withdraws from Civil Cases
By Tracy Sherlock
The lawyer representing three people accusing Vancouver Olympics boss John Furlong of abuse while he was a teacher in the late 1960s has withdrawn from all three B.C. Supreme Court civil cases. The news comes after one woman withdrew her complaint and court documents show that one of Furlong’s accusers may have been attending a different school during the years he accuses Furlong of abuse. Three people — Beverly Mary Abraham (who recently withdrew her lawsuit), Grace Jessie West and an unidentified man — initially filed civil lawsuits in B.C. Supreme Court accusing former Vancouver Olympics CEO Furlong of physical and sexual abuse. Vancouver lawyer Jason Gratl was the lawyer for each. The allegations surfaced after the Georgia Straight published an article written by Laura Robinson suggesting Furlong physically and verbally abused First Nations students while teaching at Immaculata Catholic elementary school in Burns Lake in 1969-1970. Documents filed in B.C. Supreme Court show the unidentified man claimed he attended a different school, Lejac residential school in Fraser Lake, between “about 1966” and “about 1975,” moving to Metlakatla, or Prince George College, in “about 1978.” Furlong was a physical education teacher in Burns Lake and Prince George between 1969 and 1972, when he returned to Ireland. He immigrated permanently to Canada in 1974. The documents concerning the unnamed man were filed with the Indian Residential Schools Alternative Dispute Resolution Process in 2005 and include graphic descriptions of physical and sexual abuse. A document filed by Furlong’s lawyer states that court was told in another case that the unidentified man received either $19,000 or $129,000 for his claims of residential school abuse. Abraham withdrew her lawsuit Dec. 19, citing three deaths in her family and other reasons. That same day, Gratl was granted his application to withdraw from the unnamed man’s case. Gratl had already withdrawn from the West case earlier this year. Court documents filed by Furlong state that his lawyer was having “significant difficulty” communicating with West. He said the addresses provided appear to be non-residential post-office boxes. The Roman Catholic diocese that ran Immaculata elementary school in Burns Lake filed statements of defence in 2013 that say it could find no records indicating West or the unidentified man attended the school in the years they claimed to have been victims of abuse. When asked why he withdrew from the case and whether the withdrawal is related to the residential school claim documents, or for some other reason, Gratl said he could not comment. “I am unable to comment. I would like to comment, but my professional obligations prevent me from doing so,” Gratl said in an email. Gratl also would not say if he had taken on the case on a pro bono basis or if the three plaintiffs were paying legal fees. Furlong opposed Gratl’s application to withdraw, citing concerns the withdrawal could delay the case from its planned March 30, 2015 date. “It is critically important that Mr. Furlong have the opportunity to clear his name and re-establish his career and reputation,” the court document states. Furlong has said previously that the article had “devastating and pulverizing consequences” on him and his family, and that he wished only to take action against “the source of these lies.” After a lawyer withdraws from a case, a plaintiff can hire another lawyer or represent themselves in the courtroom. There is nothing in court records to show how West or the unnamed man plan to proceed. However, an application to dismiss the West case has been put forward by Furlong’s lawyer and will be heard on Jan. 29. There is a trial management conference scheduled in the third case for the end of February. In 2013, The Vancouver Sun reported that Furlong said the RCMP had cleared him in an investigation concerning Abraham’s allegations. At the time, RCMP Sgt. Rob Vermeulen would not confirm police were finished with that claim and said the overall investigation remains open. On Tuesday, Vermeulen would not comment. “We typically do not comment on investigations unless they result in charges, at which point the details become known through the court process. We are also mindful that there are civil processes still underway,” Vermeulen said. Furlong dropped a lawsuit against the Georgia Straight but is continuing a defamation suit against Robinson. He alleged that Robinson has a “personal vendetta” against him. Robinson, in turn, filed a defamation suit against Furlong. Furlong has stated that he is innocent and that the allegations against him are false and defamatory. None of the allegations has been proven in court. Furlong’s lawyer, Claire Hunter, did not have a comment on the case. With files from Tiffany Crawford and The Canadian Press Contact: tsherlock@vancouversun.com
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