Overview
- Chelsea Rooney published a lengthy apology on Oct. 3 in the National Post and on gallowayapologies.com saying she circulated unproven allegations about former UBC professor Steven Galloway and helped gather complaints days before the trial set to start Monday.
- Rooney says her communications led others to believe the allegations were true, that she should not have relied on one side, and that she now regrets the harm to Galloway’s reputation and personal life.
- This case reaches the B.C. Supreme Court after the Supreme Court of Canada in 2024 cleared the way for trial and after a university-commissioned report by retired judge Mary Ellen Boyd found the claims against Galloway unsubstantiated.
- The published apologies are newly available public statements that lawyers for both sides can cite in court, but they do not settle the defamation claims and their legal weight will depend on courtroom rules and rulings.
- The trial will test who is liable for repeating or collecting allegations, could affect possible damages and reputations for those involved, and will shape how institutions and individuals handle unproven misconduct claims going forward.