Full Breakdown
Defamation Trial Over Sexual Harassment Allegations Involving Steven Galloway
By Drooid · · How we work
Background and Legal History
Former University of British Columbia (UBC) creative-writing professor Steven Galloway was suspended in November 2015 after a UBC student, identified only as A.B. under a publication ban, alleged sexual harassment and assault. A retired UBC judge later concluded that Galloway had sexually harassed the student but did not find evidence of assault, leading to his dismissal in 2016. In 2018 Galloway filed a defamation suit against roughly two dozen defendants; only A.B. and three others—Mandi Gray, Dana Kagis and Glynnis Kirchmeier—remain as parties. The case has progressed through multiple courts, culminating in a 2024 B.C. Court of Appeal decision that affirmed the right of individuals accused of rape to defend their reputations in court.
Testimony and Allegations
Security officer Stephen Bohnen testified that he first interviewed A.B. at the campus security counter in July 2013, when she reported that Galloway repeatedly offered her scotch and made sexual propositions. During the trial, Galloway’s lead counsel Daniel Burnett asked Bohnen whether he had told A.B. that the professor was a “serial predator,” to which Bohnen replied he could not recall such a comment.
A.B.’s ex-husband testified that she had told him Galloway had placed his hands around her neck while they were on his sailboat, and that she later disclosed an extramarital affair with Galloway from 2011 to 2013. He also noted that A.B. refused to file a police report at the time.
A.B.’s lawyer Arden Beddoes told the court that her client was withdrawing defenses of truth and fair comment but was not admitting to spreading falsehoods. Beddoes further disclosed that A.B. had attempted suicide twice in the current year because of the trial’s stress.
Official Responses
UBC itself is not a party to the defamation suit, and university officials have not issued new statements during the proceedings. The B.C. Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the outcome of the 2013 RCMP investigation referenced in the security report.
Data Summary
- Original defamation suit (2018): ~24 defendants; remaining defendants: A.B., Gray, Kagis, Kirchmeier.
- Key dates: July 2013 (initial security interview), November 2015 (letter to UBC administration), 2016 (dismissal), 2024 (appeal decision).
- No criminal charges have been laid against Galloway; he continues to deny all assault allegations.