Lawyers for 91原创-Abbotsford MLA Harman Bhangu have filed a terse response to a libel lawsuit filed this spring by a Teamsters Union local.
The response, filed in B.C. Supreme Court on June 30, denies all the allegations against Bhangu that were made in the claim filed May 26 by Teamsters Union Local 213.
Under the section for "defendant's version of facts," the response simply says "The defendant relies on common law and statutory remedies related to liability and remedies."
It is not uncommon for a defendant in a civil lawsuit to file a brief defence at first, and then update that with a longer statement later.
Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Bhangu told Black Press Media that it was an attempt to silence and intimidate him.
The lawsuit was sparked by a speech Bhangu gave in the B.C. Legislature, and in social media posts he made afterwards that included video clips and descriptions of that speech.
Bhangu, himself a trucker and member of Teamsters 213, gave a speech on May 8 that accused the Teamsters local of "blatant corruption and systemic nepotism" for the way the union dispatches truckers to road construction jobs operating under Community Benefits Agreements. He named a specific union official and alleged that his family members had received positions as brokers 鈥� with the power to choose which truckers would get calls for certain jobs 鈥� in the CBA system.
Bhangu can't be sued for the comments he made in the Legislature, where parliamentary privilege protects politicians from being sued for any form of defamation.
The lawsuit by the Teamsters acknowledged that, but claims that the introductions to the video clips Bhangu posted on social media repeated the same claims, and alleged those statements were "false, malicious, and defamatory."
It asked the court to levy damages against Bhangu, and for an injunction against the MLA making any similar statements in the future.
None of the allegations in the Teamsters civil claim have been proven in court.
Bhangu is represented by Alan McConchie, a lawyer who has specialized in defamation cases. The Teamsters suit was filed by Andrew Mercier, a labour lawyer who was also the 91原创 NDP MLA from 2020 to 2024.
The clips Bhangu allegedly posted on social media were no longer visible after the Teamsters filed their lawsuit.
