Crown attorney in Andrea Giesbrecht trial sues CTV Winnipeg, claims reputation damaged
A seasoned Manitoba Crown Attorney is suing CTV Winnipeg over a story she claims is untrue, defamatory and has seriously damaged her reputation.
Debbie Buors was involved in prosecuting Andrea Giesbrecht, the Winnipeg woman convicted of storing the remains of six fetuses in a storage locker.
In a statement of claim, Buors takes issue with a story that was broadcast during the supper-hour CTV Winnipeg newscast on Feb. 2, 2017, while the trial was ongoing.
According to the statement, CTV reported that Giesbrecht's husband, Jeremy, claimed Buors approached him and threatened him during the trial.
Jeremy Giesbrecht was called by the Crown to testify during the trial, even though he objected to it.
Jeremy Giesbrecht had heated exchanges with Buors during the trial.
CTV's report said Buors threatened him outside the courtroom by telling the man "move or I will kill you," the statement of claim says.
The statement says the allegations in the news story are not true and Buors was not contacted prior to broadcast of the story for comment, verification or denial. It says CTV failed to inquire with any of the witnesses about the conversations between the plaintiff and Jeremy Giesbrecht.
"In publishing this broadcast, the plaintiff states that the defendant accused her of a major and significant criminal offence performed in the exercise of her duties as a Crown attorney in a major criminal case, being watched by hundreds of thousands of people in Manitoba, and perhaps millions in Canada," the statement of claim says.
The verdict in the high-profile Andrea Giesbrecht case was live streamed.
The statement goes on to say "the defendant acted maliciously, and in violation of all known duties of journalistic protocol, and the plaintiff seeks punitive and aggravated damages accordingly."
The lawyer for CTV, Jonathan Kroft, said the television network hasn't yet been served with the statement of claim and couldn't comment.
