Sexual-harassment suit against ex-Ontario premier David Peterson dismissed

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The Ontario Superior Court has dismissed a sexual-harassment case against former premier David Peterson.

His accuser, Ximena Morris, had claimed Mr. Peterson had made sexually inappropriate comments to her and pulled her into unwanted hugs when the two interacted during the planning stages of the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games in Toronto. She was a manager and he was the TO2015 chair. Ms. Morris also named the organizing committee of the Games and some Pan Am executives in her lawsuit, whom she alleged contributed to her constructive dismissal.

In court in October, Ms. Morris read out a brief statement to Mr. Peterson and his wife, Shelley, apologizing for instituting the lawsuit. The two-year-old allegations against all parties were then dismissed.

"It's been very difficult for Mr. Peterson and for Mrs. Peterson and their families. They have conducted themselves honourably throughout this. I am certainly very pleased that this is behind them and they have obtained an apology," said Lisa Talbot, a partner at Torys LLP, the firm representing Mr. Peterson.

Months after Ms. Morris's claim of sexual harassment, Mr. Peterson filed a statement of defence and a counterclaim for defamation and abuse of process. With the dismissal of this case, Mr. Peterson's counterclaims have also been terminated.

In his defence filed in court in 2016, Mr. Peterson's lawyers said, "This action was brought solely to embarrass Mr. Peterson, a well-known public figure, for the purpose of extracting funds from him and the co-defendants, and attempting to bring notoriety to the plaintiff."

At the time, his lawyers alleged that Ms. Morris's lawyer, Rocco Achampong, had demanded one of TO2015's lawyers at McCarthy Tétrault pay $500,000 immediately or he'd file a lawsuit on his client's behalf and go to the media.

After news that the case against Mr. Peterson had been dismissed, Mr. Achampong, in an e-mail to The Globe and Mail, suggested his client was not backing down from her original allegations.

"It is worth noting that she apologized for 'instituting the lawsuit,' and not for the allegations. Litigation is expensive and she cannot afford it," he wrote.

At the time she filed her lawsuit in 2015, Ms. Morris said she was never able to confront Mr. Peterson directly, given his political connections and the power he wielded as chair of TO2015.

"I really didn't feel like I had that freedom or ability given my role and given his role," she said.

To the question of whether the apology in court was a real apology, Ms. Talbot said Mr. Achampong was "parsing language." She interpreted Ms. Morris's consent for the dismissal as her withdrawing her allegations.

"We have maintained from the beginning that this lawsuit was completely without merit," she said in a statement. "Sexual harassment is intolerable. This was never that case."