Sonia Furstenau believes thereB次元官网网址檚 no merit behind the legal suit Cobble Hill Holdings has filed against her.

But Furstenau, the Green MLA for the Cowichan Valley, said she has acquired legal council to defend her against the lawsuit by the owners of the now closed contaminated soil landfill near Shawnigan Lake.

B次元官网网址淭he only thing that matters to me was to protect the drinking water of the people in that area,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 say much more than that now that this is before the courts and itB次元官网网址檚 up to the courts as to how to proceed, but I see no merit to this lawsuit.B次元官网网址�

Cobble Hill HoldingB次元官网网址檚 Michael Kelly and Martin Block filed the lawsuit with the B.C. Supreme Court last week.

The suit alleges that Furstenau B次元官网网址渇alsely and maliciouslyB次元官网网址� spoke about the business partners during a rally at the legislature lawns in Victoria around March 15, 2015.

The suit claims that FurstenauB次元官网网址檚 speech seriously injured the partnersB次元官网网址� character, credit and reputation, and caused them damages.

Kelly and Block are seeking general damages, social damages, punitive damages, aggravated damages, removal of the speech from FurstenauB次元官网网址檚 website, a public apology and special costs.

Furstanau has 21 days to respond to the civil claim.

Cobble Hill Holdings also filed suit in B.C. Supreme Court in August against the province and former Environment Minister Mary Polak, who is still the Liberal MLA for Langley.

FOR RELATED STORY,

The company said at the time that it is seeking general damages, special damages, aggravated damages, punitive damages, special costs and any other relief the court B次元官网网址渕ay deem fit to grantB次元官网网址� against the government and Polak.

No amounts were specified other than B次元官网网址渢o be assessed.B次元官网网址�

Kelly and Block said in an interview with the Citizen in March that the company is out approximately $20 million after Polak pulled its operating permit last February, and they intended to sue to recover some or all of their financial investment into the project.

The companyB次元官网网址檚 permit had allowed the site to receive and store up to 100,000 tonnes of contaminated soil a year.

robert.barron@cowichanvalleycitizen.com
Like us on and follow us on