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| The betrayals: Dueck walks
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applies to intervene after promising expedited appeal | Carrying on into 2005
June,
2004: Settlements reached?
| Complete coverage through links on sidebar
Court vows to resolve
Klassen suit
Darren Bernhardt, The StarPhoenix,
April 15, 2004
Court of Queen's Bench Justice
George Baynton has vowed to proceed with a trial into damages
owed to Richard Klassen and 11 others, refusing any more delays.
"Barring multiple deaths
we are going to go Sept. 13. This matter has dragged on and on
too long. The parties involved simply have to make it happen,"
Baynton said Wednesday.
The reason for the courtroom
session was to establish dates for a conflict-of-interest hearing
(April 29) and a pre-trial meeting (mid-June).
"I hope nobody dies,"
Klassen said outside court, partly in jest but also fed up with
waiting for closure since filing the malicious prosecution lawsuit
in 1994.
The pre-trial meeting could
result in an agreement that would eliminate the need for trial,
said lawyer Robert Borden, who is representing all plaintiffs
but Klassen, who is acting on his own behalf.
"I think that's very possible,"
Borden said, noting 70 per cent of cases taking that route are
resolved at a pre-trial meeting. "This has been an awful
long time (for the plaintiffs) to wait. Let's settle it so everyone
can get on with their lives."
Baynton had his work cut out
for him in dealing with five solicitors to set the dates. Aside
from Klassen and Borden, Ken Stevenson was on hand, while Bob
Richards and David Gerrand were conferenced by phone.
Baynton wanted the session
to determine where all the parties were at in regard to preparations
"to ensure the trial date was not in jeopardy."
The plaintiffs are seeking
$10 million in compensatory and punitive damages for having been
falsely accused of sexual assault in 1991. They initially filed
a malicious prosecution suit in 1994 but it didn't get to trial
until September 2003. In December, Baynton found Crown prosecutor
Matt Miazga, Saskatoon police officer Brian Dueck and child therapist
Carol Bunko-Ruys acted maliciously. He also chastised Dueck for
doggedly pursuing the charges without evidence.
On Wednesday, Baynton said
he will not accept attempts to postpone the September date for
any reason, particularly if lawyers claim they are not ready.
"This is a quantum trial
(to set a monetary figure). It is not the liability trial (to
determine fault). That's already been done," he said, suggesting
that less groundwork is needed. "It's possible to at least
present the basic case."
Klassen was pleased with Baynton's
determination.
He feared lawyers would try
to delay the trial further after he filed a conflict-of-interest
motion against Stevenson's firm of Priel, Stevenson, Hood and
Thornton.
Stevenson is representing Bunko-Ruys
but is also investigating possible wrongdoings by Dueck on behalf
of the Saskatoon Police Service.
When he left the courthouse
Wednesday, he refused to speak to reporters, ignoring questions
before getting into his car and driving off.
In court, he said that it would
take "an extraordinary effort" to be ready for Sept.
13 because his work is "in limbo land" due to the conflict
claim.
Richards, representing Miazga,
also suggested he needed more time. He was brought into the case
in March when Miazga switched from the Justice Department lawyers
and is trying to catch up.
Gerrand, who is representing
Dueck, also wants the conflict matter dealt with prior to the
trial.
Borden plans to meet with his
clients to gauge their interest in becoming involved in Klassen's
conflict motion.
© Copyright 2004 The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
|
 Truth can never be told so as to be understood,
and not be believ'd. William
Blake, The
Proverbs of Hell
Truth suppress'd, whether by courts or crooks,
will find an avenue to be told. Sheila Steele, injusticebusters.com
Who we
are:
Publisher Sheila
Steele
Got something
to say about this or any other stories on this site? Go to injusticebustersblog Participate!
I created this
blog for people to share their stories. I receive many e-mails
with serious stories which I don't have time to check properly
and so they sometimes fall by the wayside. I hope people will
take their stories to this blog.
For now, I
am using it to post and blog photos taken by Richard and Kari
Klassen and Angela Geworsky during the summer of 2003.
Our activism
contributed greatly to the good vibes which happened around the
civil trial.
Please participate
by posting your own photos and links of activism in your community.
Index
to the stories on this website
This is not
regularly updated so if you are looking for a particular story
and you have a name or keyword, please use the site search engine(at
the bottom of the page) which IS regularly updated
Index to Saskatoon Police stories
This is a pretty good scrapbook
for the 1998-2002 period.
-
- Religious Tolerance has included an excellent account of
the Klassen/Kvello malicious prosecution case among its excellent
collection of similar cases.
-
- September 8, 2003: Trial Begins
- September 09, 2003: Pamela Klassen
Shetterly's Testimony
- September 10, 2003: Anita Klassen
- September 11, 2003: Michelle Ross
- September 12, 2003: Sheila Verway
- September 16, 2003: Michael Ross
- September 18, 2003: Ellen Gunn
- September 19, 2003: Terry Hinz
- September 19, 2003:StarPhoenix editorial,
Terry Hinz
- September 20, 2003: Louis Dupuis
- September 27, 2003: Ron Schindell,
Jay Watson
- October 01, 2003: Case
- against the Klassens weak:
documents
- October 02, 2003: Judge asked to dismiss suit: No evidence
of malicious intent: lawyers
- October 2, 2003: Letter to the editor from former "Believe
the children" advocate
- October 03, 2003: Lawyer details evidence of malice
- October
04, 2003: Judge
ponders request to drop Klassen lawsuit
- October 27, 2003: Judge Baynton's interim decision: Quinney
dropped, the rest proceed
- October 27, 2003: Claim goes forward
- October 29, 2003: Brian
Dueck
- October 30, 2003: Dueck
- October 31, 2003: Brian
Dueck
- November 01, 2003: Matthew
Miazga
- November 04, 2003: Matthew
Miazga
- November 05, 2003: Matthew
Miazga
- November 06, 2003: Sonja Hansen
injusticebusters'
daily reports
Final judgment: Dec. 30, 2003 |
articles
and editorials from Jan 6-9
| Sabo's apology | Editorials: StarPhoenix,
Leader Post and National Post >
> > | National Post front page story, Jan. 10 >
> > | Sarah Gibb's profile
of Richard and Kari Klassen | Lives
ruined by Jason Warick, Feb. 19 | | April 15/04: Judge Baynton warns defendants'
lawyers not to delay damages trial | Dueck
drops his appeal | Full transcript
of Dueck's examinations for discovery which were part of the
read-ins at the civil trial
|
