John Furlong Lawsuit Dropped after Complainant Fails to Appear in Court

CBC News
March 30, 2015

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/john-furlong-lawsuit-dropped-after-complainant-fails-to-appear-in-court-1.3015711

Former Vancouver Olympics CEO John Furlong has vigorously denied any wrongdoing since he was accused of abusing former students while he was a teacher in B.C. during the late 1960s.

Sexual assault allegations against John Furlong, former head of the Vancouver Olympics organizing committee, were dismissed by a B.C. Supreme Court judge today after the complainant Daniel Morice failed to appear in court.

The former VANOC CEO has vigorously denied any wrongdoing since he was accused of abusing former students while he was a teacher in British Columbia during the late 1960s.

The dismissal of Morice's complaint is the third time allegations against Furlong have been set aside.

In December, a woman who claimed she was abused by Furlong while he was a teacher in Burns Lake, B.C., dropped her lawsuit against Furlong.

Beverly Mary Abraham was the most outspoken of three people who filed claims in the wake of a Georgia Straight newspaper article alleging Furlong had mistreated students at Immaculata Roman Catholic School in the late 1960s.

Recording from accuser played in court

In Monday's court appearance, Morice failed to appear and tried to adjourn the trial over the phone. Furlong's lawyer Bill Smart said the case should be dismissed and special costs should be awarded.

Smart said Morice's conduct was reprehensible and worthy of censure, citing that Morice launched improper allegations with improper motives and used improper conduct.

In audio recorded by Smart's office and played in court, Morice told the lawyer to stop sending him documents.

"You can't stop me, no one can stop me," Morice said in the recording. "I will come to court when I am ready."

Morice also said: "I will sue that creep for everything he's got."

Furlong denies ever meeting his accuser

The court was told that Furlong has sworn under oath that he never assaulted Morice nor could recall ever meeting him.

The allegations that were filed against the former Vancouver Olympics chief have caused him to lose work as a speaker and dramatically affected Furlong's life, according to his lawyer.

Furlong was deeply depressed for months after the allegations were made against him, according to his lawyer, and the stress had an impact on his relationship with his family including his children and grandchildren.