Latest news with #Carroccia
Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Vancouver Sun
What to know about Justice Maria Carroccia, the judge who acquitted the five Team Canada players
Last week, in a 91-page judgement following an eight-week trial in London, Ont., Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found all five defendants — 2018 Team Canada world junior hockey players — not guilty of sexual assault involving one complainant, identified only as E.M. due to a publication ban. Carroccia acquitted Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote after saying the complainant's testimony was not found to be 'either credible or reliable.' Here's what to know about the woman who made that ruling. She used to work as a waitress Her parents came to Canada from Italy She worked as a defence lawyer before she was a judge She has a degree in English language and literature She once described herself as a lawyer who 'works in the trenches' She thinks of herself as a plain speaker Her ruling was criticized but also seen by many as fair and balanced While there was outrage from some quarters at the acquittal, there were also those who praised the verdict and the judge's careful work . Karen Bellehumeur, lawyer for E.M., said as part of her statement after the verdict: 'It's important to understand that this case, the criminal justice system worked the way it's designed to work, to aggressively protect the rights of the accused. It's based on a concept that 10 guilty persons should walk free before one innocent person is wrongly convicted.' Read the full text of the judge's verdict in the Hockey Canada sex assault trial In the questionnaire Carroccia completed to apply for a federal judicial appointment, she listed under 'non-legal work history' two occupations. From 1980 to 1987, she worked as a part-time pharmacy assistant at Patterson Big V Drug Store, part of a chain that was later taken over by Shoppers Drug Mart . And in roughly the same period (1980 to 1986) she was a part-time waitress at Caboto Club of Windsor. Described on its website as 'Southwestern Ontario's largest and oldest Italian club,' the Giovanni Caboto Club turns 100 this year. Carroccia is the oldest child of immigrants from Italy. Her parents did not finish grade school, and when they came to Canada her father became a construction worker, and her mother a homemaker. Their first language was not English and, growing up, Carroccia was often their intermediary when dealing with government agencies and English-speaking people. 'While they encouraged me to further my education, financially, they were not always able to assist, so I worked part time jobs as a student to pay for my education,' she said in her judicial application. 'They taught me the value of hard work. We have a close-knit and loving large family. She also noted that, as the mother of two children herself, 'I have developed an ability to balance my professional life with my personal life.' Carroccia's legal work history includes 25 years self-employed as a barrister and solicitor practicing in Windsor, with her practice restricted to criminal defence. Prior to that, she worked for five years for Gordner, Klein, Barristers and Solicitors, practicing criminal law; and two years before that at Gignac, Sutts Barristers and Solicitors, in the same capacity. Carroccia was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1989 after graduating from the University of Windsor's faculty of law two years earlier. In addition to her law degree, she also holds an English language and literature degree from Windsor, earned in 1984. She was appointed in June of 2020 as a judge to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario by then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti. This month, Lametti was named Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, after helping with Carney's transition into office and as an informal advisor. In her judicial questionnaire, Carroccia noted that most of her time as a lawyer was spent as a sole practitioner. 'I do not work in a large firm,' she said. 'I view myself as a trial lawyer who 'works in the trenches.' My contribution to the law is to represent my clients to the best of my ability, whether they are charged with minor offences or the most serious offences.' 'The audience for the decisions of the Superior Court of Justice is the average Canadian citizen,' she once said. 'It is my view that a judge's decision ought to make sense to an ordinary person, not just to lawyers, scholars and other judges. An individual should be able to understand the decision of a judge and the law upon which it is based even if he or she is not well-versed in the law.' And Meaghan Cunningham, assistant Crown attorney, noted: ' A fair trial is one where decisions are made based on the evidence and the law, not on stereotypes and assumptions, and where the trial process respects the security, equality, and privacy rights of the victim, as well as the accused persons.' Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Edmonton Journal
a day ago
- Edmonton Journal
What to know about Justice Maria Carroccia, the judge who acquitted the five Team Canada players
Last week, in a 91-page judgement following an eight-week trial in London, Ont., Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia found all five defendants — 2018 Team Canada world junior hockey players — not guilty of sexual assault involving one complainant, identified only as E.M. due to a publication ban. Carroccia acquitted Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote after saying the complainant's testimony was not found to be 'either credible or reliable.' Here's what to know about the woman who made that ruling. She used to work as a waitress In the questionnaire Carroccia completed to apply for a federal judicial appointment, she listed under 'non-legal work history' two occupations. From 1980 to 1987, she worked as a part-time pharmacy assistant at Patterson Big V Drug Store, part of a chain that was later taken over by Shoppers Drug Mart. And in roughly the same period (1980 to 1986) she was a part-time waitress at Caboto Club of Windsor. Described on its website as 'Southwestern Ontario's largest and oldest Italian club,' the Giovanni Caboto Club turns 100 this year. Her parents came to Canada from Italy Carroccia is the oldest child of immigrants from Italy. Her parents did not finish grade school, and when they came to Canada her father became a construction worker, and her mother a homemaker. Their first language was not English and, growing up, Carroccia was often their intermediary when dealing with government agencies and English-speaking people. 'While they encouraged me to further my education, financially, they were not always able to assist, so I worked part time jobs as a student to pay for my education,' she said in her judicial application. 'They taught me the value of hard work. We have a close-knit and loving large family. She also noted that, as the mother of two children herself, 'I have developed an ability to balance my professional life with my personal life.' She worked as a defence lawyer before she was a judge Carroccia's legal work history includes 25 years self-employed as a barrister and solicitor practicing in Windsor, with her practice restricted to criminal defence. Prior to that, she worked for five years for Gordner, Klein, Barristers and Solicitors, practicing criminal law; and two years before that at Gignac, Sutts Barristers and Solicitors, in the same capacity. She has a degree in English language and literature Carroccia was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1989 after graduating from the University of Windsor's faculty of law two years earlier. In addition to her law degree, she also holds an English language and literature degree from Windsor, earned in 1984. She was appointed in June of 2020 as a judge to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario by then Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti. This month, Lametti was named Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, after helping with Carney's transition into office and as an informal advisor. She once described herself as a lawyer who 'works in the trenches' In her judicial questionnaire, Carroccia noted that most of her time as a lawyer was spent as a sole practitioner. 'I do not work in a large firm,' she said. 'I view myself as a trial lawyer who 'works in the trenches.' My contribution to the law is to represent my clients to the best of my ability, whether they are charged with minor offences or the most serious offences.' She thinks of herself as a plain speaker 'The audience for the decisions of the Superior Court of Justice is the average Canadian citizen,' she once said. 'It is my view that a judge's decision ought to make sense to an ordinary person, not just to lawyers, scholars and other judges. An individual should be able to understand the decision of a judge and the law upon which it is based even if he or she is not well-versed in the law.' Her ruling was criticized but also seen by many as fair and balanced While there was outrage from some quarters at the acquittal, there were also those who praised the verdict and the judge's careful work. Karen Bellehumeur, lawyer for E.M., said as part of her statement after the verdict: 'It's important to understand that this case, the criminal justice system worked the way it's designed to work, to aggressively protect the rights of the accused. It's based on a concept that 10 guilty persons should walk free before one innocent person is wrongly convicted.'
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Judge acquits all 5 former Hockey Canada players in sex assault trial: Read the full decision
One of the most watched criminal cases in recent memory has ended with acquittal for all five ex-NHL players , who were accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018. The verdicts in the Hockey Canada trial, read in a nearly five-hour marathon on Thursday by Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia, came after months of testimony and years of public litigation over allegations that had captured the country's attention and sparked a reckoning about the handling of sexual misconduct in professional sports. Carroccia said she did not find the testimony of E.M., the complainant whose identity is shielded by a publication ban, 'to be either credible or reliable,' and the Crown 'cannot meet its onus on any of the counts before me.' Read Carroccia's full decision below:
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
World junior decision will be ‘a big deterrent' for sex assault reporting, advocates say
Sexual assault support agencies say an Ontario judge's decision in the high-profile world junior sex assault trial will deter people from speaking out about sexual assault. During her reading of her decision inside a London, Ont., courtroom Thursday, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia called the complainant, known as E.M. in court documents, to be 'neither credible or reliable.' Carroccia found Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote not guilty of sexual assault; she also found McLeod not guilty of being a party to the offence of sexual assault. 'The experience that E.M. described was very much the way trauma works: not remembering everything in order and things getting a little mixed up and not having all of your timelines straight,' said Jessie Rodger, executive director of Anova, a sexual assault centre for London in Middlesex County. Story continues below advertisement 'That's how trauma impacts your brain, and so to watch a completely no trauma violence informed judgment come down is going to be a big deterrent' for complainants, she added. 3:56 Why the judge acquitted all 5 former Hockey Canada players in sex assault trial The five men were on trial since late April – accused of engaging in non-consensual group sex with a then-20-year-old woman in June 2018. Much has been made in the case about consent, Carroccia said, but in her decision she said the case 'on its facts does not raise issues of the reformulation of the legal concept of consent.' Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy But advocates for survivors of sexual assault disagree, and said this case shows more needs to be done within the justice system, specifically training around consent and sexual assault for all judges, said Jennifer Dunn, the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre. Story continues below advertisement Dunn also said if consent education were more apart of hockey culture, this situation might have been different. 'Would this have all happened if … there was some kind off framework built for them around what consent was, what is okay, what is not okay?' she said. View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen View full screen Previous Image Next Image Close Modal Gallery The five men entered the courthouse one-by-one Thursday and were greeted by dozens of supporters of sexual assault survivors. Story continues below advertisement While demonstrators wrote 'believe survivors' in chalk outside the courthouse and carried signs saying the same, the judge said the slogan has no place in a criminal trial. 'To approach a trial with the assumption that the complainant is telling the truth is the equivalent of imposing a presumption of guilt on the person accused of sexual assault and then placing the burden on him to prove his innocence,' she said. 'That is antithetical to the fundamental principles of justice enshrined in our constitution and the values underlying our free and democratic society.' Dunn called the judge's words 'utter nonsense.' 'This is a landmark case where there's no consideration for the fact that women are conditioned to fear and please men — and that's just the bottom line, like look at how the system was built,' she said. 2:36 World junior trial: Players found not guilty in high-profile sex assault case Both Dunn and Rodger say while the decision might deter people from speaking up, they want those who have experienced a sexual assault to know they have other options. Story continues below advertisement 'We're here wanting to make sure that victims and survivors of sexual violence know that there's another option. They can come to sexual assault centres, they can heal, and they can get support in other ways,' Rodger said. 'We will believe them, we will not question them, and we will support them in whatever way they need.' London Police Chief Thai Truong commended E.M. for her 'outstanding courage and strength' in coming forward and enduring the prolong legal process. 'We remain committed to ensuring that survivors of sexual violence feel supported and safe when interacting with the London Police Service, recognizing the distinct impact trauma can have,' he said in a statement. Troung recognized that 'incidents of sexual violence continue to be underreported, often because survivors may fear or experience additional trauma within the justice process itself. This includes fear of judgement within their communities and beyond.' He said as police chief, he is 'determined to ensure that our service consistently delivers victim-centered, trauma-informed responses, emphasizing sensitivity, compassion, and public safety.' — with files from Aaron D'Andrea and Sean O'Shea
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dan's Daily: Penguins Progress; Stinging Acquittal in Team Canada Trial
For those on social media on Thursday, the scroll was one of the most surreal in recent memory, further underscoring hockey's tertiary status when football is underway. While X erupted over New York Jets QB Justin Fields's injured toe, legitimate and substantial news was unfolding in London, Ontario, as the court rendered verdicts on the five 2018 Team Canada players accused of sexual assault. The presiding Justice left little doubt in a more than four-hour verbal dismantling of the prosecution's case. Elsewhere in the Daily, after completing the Top 25 Pittsburgh Penguins prospects, we began to answer the important questions–what does it mean, and what is the progress status of the Penguins' rebuild? Daniel Sprong bolted for the KHL, and Gavin McKenna is excited for Penn State. The matter of the five acquitted players is now in the NHL's hands as the players are currently ineligible, which is a fact the league repeated following the verdicts. I have and will continue to tiptoe through the issue because I understand there are a lot of emotions on several different sides and several different levels. I was shocked at what one reporter appropriately called an 'evicerating' summary by Justice Maria Carroccia. She went through the case, point by point, and at every contention by the Crown (the prosecution), Carroccia refuted it. Having followed the live blogs on the London Free Press through the trial and on Thursday, there was not a point Carroccia conceded to the claimant. While 'Innocent' is not a verdict, the judge essentially indicated she felt that way, saying she 'found actual consent.' There is so much more to unpack regarding the trial, but I will ask that any comments on this webpage remain respectful. And we're going to stop there and get to the hockey. Pittsburgh Penguins Pittsburgh Hockey Now: A sudden glut of prospects bodes well for general manager Kyle Dubas and the Penguins. We examined the abundance of young players, but also the shortage in one area. Here is the progress status of the Penguins rebuild. Steelers Now: Day 1 of training camp is behind us, and we're starting to learn a bit more. At least now we're seeing the plan for Jalen Ramsey. NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now Sportsnet: Here are the verdicts of the five players who were accused, and the following news report. The NHL now has a little situation on its hands because they don't really have a standing to keep the players out of the league, but it's also going to be messy if and when the players are reinstated. For now, the NHL has repeated that the players are ineligible. New Jersey Hockey Now: Two former Devils were among the accused. Their verdicts and the fallout for Cal Foote and Michael McLeod. Let's turn to something more enjoyable. Florida Hockey Now: Seth Jones. Stanley Cup. The defenseman was languishing in Chicago at midseason, but a trade to Florida certainly changed his fortunes. Jones took the Cup back to where it all began for him. It's more good times for the Florida Panthers. Detroit Hockey Now: Remember the Jakub Vrana for Anthony Mantha trade? Now Mantha is with the Penguins, and former Detroit Red Wings winger Vrana is hoping for another shot in the NHL. TSN: Daniel Sprong is no longer an NHL player. He bolted the big league to sign in the KHL. Gavin McKenna is prepping for Penn State, but also anxiously awaiting another crack at the World Juniors in December. Canada was embarrassed last year, and McKenna has been waiting to right that wrong. What a week. From Ozzy to Hulk to Team Canada. The post Dan's Daily: Penguins Progress; Stinging Acquittal in Team Canada Trial appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.
