During a defamation trial at the B.C. Supreme Court, a former creative writing student expressed her shock and horror at the language used in a mass email by another student investigating misconduct allegations against author and former UBC professor Steven Galloway.
Cara Woodruff, a UBC creative writing graduate, testified that she was taken aback by the email she received in November 2015 from Chelsea Rooney, who was gathering complaints against Galloway. Woodruff described Rooney’s email as containing exaggerated and extreme language, encouraging recipients to reach out anonymously to a reporter from The Canadian Press regarding allegations against Galloway.
Woodruff mentioned that Rooney was representing a woman identified as A.B., who was portrayed as vulnerable and in need of support. However, Woodruff revealed that A.B. had expressed distrust towards Chelsea, raising confusion as to why Rooney was involved in the manner she was.
Woodruff stated that she did not believe the sexual assault allegations against Galloway and repeatedly advised A.B. to approach the police for a thorough investigation.
Days before the trial commenced, Rooney issued a public apology to Galloway, acknowledging the seriousness and harm caused by her actions and expressing regret for contributing to Galloway’s suffering.
During her testimony on Tuesday, Woodruff shared feeling blindsided upon learning of the allegations as she had been friends with A.B. She expressed uncertainty about the existence of a criminal investigation due to the ambiguous nature of the situation.
A.B. is not testifying in the trial, and the court has been informed that she is not asserting the truth of the allegations made against Galloway.
Galloway, known for works like “The Cellist of Sarajevo” and “The Confabulist,” was a tenured professor and chair of the creative writing program at UBC. Although he was terminated from his position, he was never criminally charged based on A.B.’s allegations, which are subject to a publication ban.
Rooney clarified in her apology that she was requested by the university, A.B., and faculty members to collect complaints against Galloway, emphasizing that she had no evidence supporting the unverified serious allegations against him.
Additionally, the court heard from Stephen Bohnen, a former UBC community relations officer, who documented A.B.’s sexual harassment complaint against Galloway in 2013. Bohnen refuted claims made by A.B. in an email regarding Galloway, denying the characterization of Galloway as a “serial predator.”
Glynnis Kirchmeier, a defendant representing herself in the defamation case, raised questions about the university’s handling of complaints against professors, aiming to link it to the downstream liability shared with A.B. Sharma, the presiding judge, sought clarification on the relevance of Kirchmeier’s line of questioning.
The court also learned that A.B. admitted in 2019 during cross-examination that she falsely asserted that CBC’s legal team had vetted her story. Galloway’s lawyer read from a transcript where A.B. explained her motivations, expressing the need for her case to be investigated by UBC.
Later in the proceedings, A.B.’s legal team opposed introducing a report by a publishing industry expert into evidence as Galloway alleges his writing career was adversely affected following the emergence of the allegations.
