Judge Russell Brown denies allegations of Arizona clash
Judge Brown is still on leave as a complaint against him is considered by a judicial council, but new legislation pending in parliament could change the way allegations against judges are dealt with in the future .
Supreme Court Justice Russell Brown denies details of a newspaper article published Thursday that reports allegations that he “harassed” a group of friends at an event on January 28 at a resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Vancouver Suncites a police report in which the plaintiff, Jon Crump, accuses Mr. Brown of being intoxicated and making the band members nervous before Mr. Crump punched two the judge in the face.
The newspaper also reports that Mr. Crump accused the judge of shoving him before he punched Mr. Brown, and that the police report says no crime has been established.
In a written statement, Mr. Brown denies Mr. Crump's account and claims he was asked to join the group before what he calls “an unprovoked attack”. p>
According to him, Mr. Crump, who at this time has not responded to requests to comment on the judge's statement, has falsely accused him of being the instigator of the confrontation in order to avoid the consequences of the alleged attack.
Mr. Brown has been on leave from court since February 1 pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation by the Canadian Judicial Council.
Outside the living room, Mr. Crump objected to me joining the group and suddenly, without warning or provocation, punched me multiple times in the head. Taken by surprise, I could not defend myself, says Mr. Brown.
The account Mr. Crump gave to the press is patently false. About an hour after the assault he called the police and, in an apparent attempt to avoid facing the consequences of his assault, he falsely described me as the instigator, he adds.
Mr. Brown, who was nominated to the Supreme Court in 2015 by then-Prime Minister Stephen Harper, was attending an awards ceremony and banquet ahead of the clash.
< p class="e-p">The Vancouver Sun said the event was to honor the former Supreme Court justice and human rights advocate Louise Arbour, who was receiving an award from Arizona State University. embarrassment and created complications for the Court. I hope Council resolves this matter quickly, Judge Brown said in a statement.
The local police public records office was unavailable on Friday . None of these allegations have been proven in court.
