Sauvageau was the province’s top medical examiner from mid-2011 until it was announced in late 2014 that her contract would not be renewed next year. The trial began last Friday. Sauvageau is suing the province for $ 7.6 million in damages for lost income and benefits. An earlier version of the lawsuit named Dennis as a defendant in his capacity as Justice Minister, but his name was removed after he resigned from politics in 2015. Sauvageau’s attorney, Allan Garber, told the court Friday morning that he received an email Thursday night from Calgary’s attorney, Kyle Shewchuk, representing Denis. Shewchuk is a lawyer with the Calgary-based Guardian Law Group, where Denis is a founding partner. Garber read aloud parts of the letter to the court. CBC News received a copy of the letter. “Your client… has been involved in a seven-year campaign of defamation and harassment against Mr Dennis,” the letter said. “We are closely following the ongoing trial of Dr Sauvageau and know that … Mr Denis’s defamation of Mr Denis continued unabated.” He continued: “Mr Denis is a respected and well-known lawyer and businessman and he will not tolerate these wrongdoings against him. These actions must stop immediately and we reserve the right to refer to this correspondence if the defamation of Dr. Sauvageau continues. . “ Queen’s Bench Judge Doreen Sulyma told the court she had never seen anything like the letter in her 25 years on the bench and 25 years in private legal practice. Sulima said the letter was “unprecedented”. The judge asked Garber to file an order for Denis and his lawyer to appear in person before her on Monday afternoon. The letter states that the Guardian Law Group is investigating the defamation action against Sauvageau and plans to order transfers from the court case. “We look forward to hearing from you and believe that you will advise your client to self-govern accordingly,” the letter said. Sauvageau did not return to the witness stand on Friday.

“Afraid” to testify

Sauvageau testified in court Friday in response to a letter from the law firm representing Denis. In doing so, he insisted he had never slandered Dennis, but said the warning had a creepy effect. She said she was still afraid to testify at the trial, even though her lawyer told her she was being protected because her affidavit was privileged. “I do not have the luxury of defending a defamation suit,” Sauvageau wrote. Jonathan Dennis served as Minister of Justice in Alberta from 2012 to 2015. (CBC)
“I am still afraid that Jonathan Denis, QC, may sue me,” Sauvageau said in the letter. “The financial consequences of a lawsuit scare me especially since I do not have a job.” Sauvageau’s lawyer described the letter from the lawyer representing Denis as an inappropriate threat. “This is not coming from someone who may not be aware of the integrity of the tests and the importance of not whitewashing or harassing witnesses,” Garber said. “This comes from the former Minister of Justice … I think it is an insult to the integrity of the trial process.”
Craig Neuman, a lawyer representing the provincial government, assured the court that his clients were unaware of or involved in the threat of defamation.
“I know it will be obvious in court, but I am not acting on behalf of Mr. Dennis,” Neumann said.

“You can not be sued”

A law professor at the University of Alberta said he was surprised a lawyer and a former justice minister would make the allegations contained in the letter. “If you are a witness in a political or criminal trial, you can not sue based on what you say in court,” Steven Penny told CBC News. “There are no exceptions, it has been in the law for at least 100 to 150 years. “And it’s something that all lawyers need to know as a very clear rule.” Late Friday afternoon, another lawyer Dennis hired responded to a request for comment from CBC News, saying, “We disagree with the characterization of Dr. Sauvageau and her adviser regarding the letter of April 7, 2022.”