Latest news with #civilcase
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
B.C. man who got $8M says he'll be penniless if made to pay sex assault damages
VANCOUVER — A British Columbia man who was awarded $8 million after being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and spending 27 years in prison says he'll be left "homeless and penniless" if forced to pay civil damages to victims who won a lawsuit against him. The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled this week that five women who were awarded $375,000 each in January against Ivan Henry can't go after his home or vehicles pending his appeal, but ordered him to pay $232,000 into a trust account. "The value of the (January) judgment exceeds my net worth," Henry said in an affidavit. "I would be homeless and have no means to support myself." Henry was convicted of 10 counts of sexual assault in 1983, but was released after an appeal determined he was wrongfully convicted and he was acquitted in 2010. The appeal ruling says Henry was awarded more than $8 million in 2018 for breaches of his Charter rights after suing the province and others for wrongful conviction, but five women sued him in 2017, alleging he sexually assaulted them in their Vancouver homes in the early 1980s. The B.C. Supreme Court sided with the women in the civil case but the appeal ruling says Henry has not taken any steps to pay them and both he and the plaintiffs have filed appeals. The five women are appealing the court's refusal to award punitive damages in the case of $1 million each. This week's ruling says Henry applied to "stay execution" of the damages award and he told the court he spent millions defending the lawsuit, gave away more than $2 million, and now lives in a mortgage-free home on a monthly stipend from old-age security and the Canada Pension Plan. Henry filed an affidavit in the Court of Appeal this month that outlines his current living situation, his finances and the history of the case. It says he has had "significant health issues" since his release from prison, undergoing quintuple bypass heart surgery in 2016. Henry, now 78, said he lives alone at his home in Hope, B.C., with an assessed value of $650,000, and he owns two vehicles worth a combined $40,000. Henry said his Charter damages were paid out in instalments. He said he "gifted" more than $2 million to family members and a former partner, and also made donations. "These gifts were unconditional gifts with no expectation of repayment," said Henry, who estimated his annual living expenses at around $40,000. He said the rest of the money went toward living expense and legal expenses fighting the civil lawsuit. Henry said he continues to have "anxiety and other long-term effects" from his time behind bars, and asked the court to allow him to remain in his home until the appeal is decided. "My home provides me with a consistent and secure environment that supports my ability to manage these challenges. It is a place where I feel safe and can maintain a routine." The Court of Appeal found discrepancies in Henry's claims, finding his evidence leaves $1.8 million "unaccounted for," while he couldn't explain where "large sums" flowing in and out of his account went between 2018 and 2023. The ruling says Henry's affidavit is "not consistent" with what he said in an examination by the plaintiffs a week before he filed the document. He had said on May 5 that he gave away an estimated $3 million by 2017. He also said he had about $2 million and a house in 2024, but lost millions defending the civil action. Justice Nitya Iyer found that it is possible Henry doesn't have the money to pay the award and may lose his home, but "inconsistencies" in his affidavit and the examination "raise real questions about whether Mr. Henry has access to more funds than he claims." The ruling says the appeal will likely be heard this fall, with a decision in the spring of 2026. Lawyers for Henry and the complainants did not immediately respond to a requests for comment. The women who sued Henry described sexual assaults in their ground-floor or basement suites between May 1981 and June 1982. The judge in January's civil ruling found Henry liable, saying "it is more likely than not that he was their attacker and performed the sexual assaults … on a balance of probabilities." This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025. Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press
CBC
3 days ago
- Health
- CBC
B.C. man who got $8M for wrongful conviction says he'll be penniless if made to pay sex assault damages
A B.C. man who was awarded $8 million after being wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and spending 27 years in prison says he'll be left "homeless and penniless" if forced to pay civil damages to victims who won a lawsuit against him. The B.C. Court of Appeal ruled this week that five women who were awarded $375,000 each in January against Ivan Henry can't go after his home or vehicles pending his appeal, but ordered him to pay $232,000 into a trust account. "The value of the (January) judgment exceeds my net worth," Henry said in an affidavit. "I would be homeless and have no means to support myself." Henry was convicted of 10 counts of sexual assault in 1983, but was released after an appeal determined he was wrongfully convicted and he was acquitted in 2010. The appeal ruling says Henry was awarded more than $8 million in 2018 for breaches of his Charter rights after suing the province and others for wrongful conviction, but five women sued him in 2017, alleging he sexually assaulted them in their Vancouver homes in the early 1980s. The B.C. Supreme Court sided with the women in the civil case but the appeal ruling says Henry has not taken any steps to pay them and both he and the plaintiffs have filed appeals. The five women are appealing the court's refusal to award punitive damages in the case of $1 million each. This week's ruling says Henry applied to "stay execution" of the damages award and he told the court he spent millions defending the lawsuit, gave away more than $2 million, and now lives in a mortgage-free home on a monthly stipend from old-age security and the Canada Pension Plan. 'Significant health issues' Henry filed an affidavit in the Court of Appeal this month that outlines his current living situation, his finances and the history of the case. It says he has had "significant health issues" since his release from prison, undergoing quintuple bypass heart surgery in 2016. Henry, now 78, said he lives alone at his home in Hope, B.C., with an assessed value of $650,000, and he owns two vehicles worth a combined $40,000. Henry said his Charter damages were paid out in instalments. He said he "gifted" more than $2 million to family members and a former partner, and also made donations. "These gifts were unconditional gifts with no expectation of repayment," said Henry, who estimated his annual living expenses at around $40,000. He said the rest of the money went toward living expense and legal expenses fighting the civil lawsuit. Henry said he continues to have "anxiety and other long-term effects" from his time behind bars, and asked the court to allow him to remain in his home until the appeal is decided. "My home provides me with a consistent and secure environment that supports my ability to manage these challenges. It is a place where I feel safe and can maintain a routine." The Court of Appeal found discrepancies in Henry's claims, finding his evidence leaves $1.8 million "unaccounted for," while he couldn't explain where "large sums" flowing in and out of his account went between 2018 and 2023. The ruling says Henry's affidavit is "not consistent" with what he said in an examination by the plaintiffs a week before he filed the document. He had said on May 5 that he gave away an estimated $3 million by 2017. He also said he had about $2 million and a house in 2024, but lost millions defending the civil action. Justice Nitya Iyer found that it is possible Henry doesn't have the money to pay the award and may lose his home, but "inconsistencies" in his affidavit and the examination "raise real questions about whether Mr. Henry has access to more funds than he claims." The ruling says the appeal will likely be heard this fall, with a decision in the spring of 2026. Lawyers for Henry and the complainants did not immediately respond to a requests for comment. The women who sued Henry described sexual assaults in their ground-floor or basement suites between May 1981 and June 1982. The judge in January's civil ruling found Henry liable, saying "it is more likely than not that he was their attacker and performed the sexual assaults … on a balance of probabilities."
CTV News
6 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Lawsuit filed, counterclaim threatened over deadly Lions Bay, B.C., slide
Part of Lions Bay, B.C., remains under a local state of emergency more than five months after a large debris flow claimed two lives when it sent tons of trees, rocks and mud tumbling through a residential neighbourhood. Long-time Lions Bay residents David and Barbara Enns died in the December 2024 slide, which is now at the centre of a civil suit filed in B.C. Supreme Court. Several neighbours, along with representatives of the estates of Barabara and David Enns have named the province, the municipality and Steven Vestergaard, who owns a large plot of land in the area as defendants. The plaintiffs are Michelle Medland, Sean Barry, Fiona Fourie, Barbara Dyer, and Michael Enns, who is listed as the executor of the estates of the deceased. The allegations laid out in the suit pertain to a road and water reservoir the plaintiffs refer to as 'illegal works'. In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs allege the slide was 'caused, or alternatively contributed to,' by construction of the road and reservoir up the slope from where the Enns' home was swept away. Vestergaard denies the infrastructure contributed to the debris flow. 'First, my heart goes out to the Enns family. These were the nicest neighbours that I could wish for, and they didn't deserve this,' he wrote in an email to CTV News. 'The litigation against me is completely frivolous and I will be filing for a motion to dismiss and will be counterclaiming for damages.' The Village of Lions Bay has filed a response to the statement of claim which disputes the allegations against it. Representatives for the village declined a CTV News request for comment. None of the allegations have been tested in court.
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- News.com.au
Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre fareweled in private ceremony in Perth
The high-profile survivor of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein who alleged she was trafficked for sex to Prince Andrew has been farewelled in Perth. Virginia Giuffre is believed to have taken her own life at her farm in Neergabby, about 80km north of Perth, in April. She was reportedly cremated in recent days at Pinnaroo Valley Memorial Park in Padbury. The West Australian reported on Sunday a funeral service was held, and was understood to have been held privately and not publicly advertised. The 41-year-old's death made international headlines, with many of Mr Epstein's accusers left without justice following his death in custody in 2019. Ms Giuffre has long accused Prince Andrew of sexually assaulting her when he was only a teenager. She brought a civil sexual assault case against him, which was ultimately settled by Mr Andrew outside of court in 2022. The sum of the settlement is unknown. Prince Andrew has strenuously denied all the allegations against him, which ultimately led to him stepping away from public life. In a separate suit in New York against Epstein's longtime confidante, Ghislaine Maxwell, Ms Giuffre alleged she had been kept as a 'sex slave' for the rich and powerful. She claimed to have been recruited by Ms Maxwell – the only person implicated in Epstein's alleged operations to be convicted – when she was aged between 16 and 17. At the time, Ms Giuffre was working at Donald trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. Upon her death, Ms Giuffre was facing a charge of allegedly breaching a family violence restraining order taken out by her estranged husband, Robert Giuffre. She had also recently survived a bus crash, after which she posted a photo to social media of her badly-bruised face and the caption: 'four days to live'. Ms Guiffree moved to Perth from Cairns with Mr Giuffree in 2022 and is survived by her three children.
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
City of Surrey looks to recover lost $2.5M
Vancouver Watch The City of Surrey is looking to recover $2.5 million lost in 'irregular transactions' as it launches civil lawsuit against former employee.
