Alleged victim in Hockey Canada lawsuit speaks out

The woman, who filed a lawsuit against Hockey Canada over an alleged assault on members of the 2018 World Junior Team after a national governing body event, is speaking out for the first time, telling the Globe and Mail it’s difficult to “see facts which are told in pieces and not as a whole.”

The woman, referred to in the story as EM, said she had no intention of drawing “attention” to the allegations.

“I just wanted consequences for actions and some accountability,” she said.

Hockey Canada has come under intense scrutiny and criticism since May, when EM’s allegations were made public in a lawsuit the organization settled. In the complaint, filed in Ontario Superior Court in April, EM alleged that she was assaulted by eight players in a hotel room in London, Ontario, after a Hockey Canada Foundation event in June 2018. They were among those accused of assault in the lawsuit.

EM’s lawyer Rob Talach also expressed frustration to the Globe at the “misinformation” being circulated about EM’s cooperation with the London Police, saying some of it came from Hockey Canada. The governing body originally released a statement saying EM “choose not to speak to either the police or the Hockey Canada investigator and also chose not to identify the players involved.” Hockey Canada eventually corrected that statement after Talach contacted them, he said.

In a statement Tuesday, Talach gave details, “summarize their efforts below the event and to set the record straight.”

According to the Globe report and Talach’s testimony, EM spoke to a London detective on June 22, 2018. She also went to the hospital for a physical exam that day, Talach confirmed, and later turned over her clothes from the night of the alleged attack to investigators. She met with police again on June 26 and August 31, Talach said. On February 6, 2019, she was told that no charges would be filed, Talach said.

“After a period of reflection, she next pursued the matter through the formality of the civil justice system in the form of a lawsuit,” Talach said.

According to a statement from EM’s attorney, the young woman, who said she was sexually assaulted by eight hockey players in London, Ontario in 2018, has responded to requests to cooperate in the new investigation by Hockey Canada and the London Police Service.

— Katie Strang (@KatieJStrang) August 2, 2022

London Police announced last month that they were reopening their investigation and EM recently met with them, Talach said in the statement. She also took a polygraph exam set up and paid for by her legal team, according to Talach, who said she passed the test with a “truthful” rating.

Polygraph exam results are not admissible in evidence in Canadian courts. However, the results have been sent to Hockey Canada and the NHL and will be sent to London Police, according to Talach. However, EM will not conduct sit-in interviews with the NHL or Hockey Canada, Talach told the Globe.

“This woman has fully participated and cooperated in all legal and formal investigations related to this events,” Talach said in the statement. “We ask himright Privacy continues to be respected and I thank the Canadian public for their concern.”

Last week, during two days of hearings, Members of Parliament grilled officials from Hockey Canada, Sport Canada and Hockey Canada’s investigative firm Henein Hutchinson over the 2018 lawsuit and its handling. Some MPs have called for the resignation of members of Hockey Canada.

(Photo above: Jerome Miron / USA TODAY)