B.C. Supreme Court dismisses Kamloops mayor’s defamation lawsuit against councillor

A B.C. Supreme Court justice has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by Reid Hamer-Jackson against Katie Neustaeter, ruling the case improperly targeted free political expression.

The mayor filed the lawsuit in June 2023, alleging Neustaeter defamed him through internal council emails and a public statement she read on behalf of city council during a March 2023 news conference.

In that statement, Neustaeter said councillors had been “subjected to repeated disrespect, violations of personal and professional boundaries, belittling, and constantly disruptive behaviour by the mayor.”

Neustaeter argued the lawsuit was intended to silence her and sought to have it dismissed under British Columbia’s Protection of Public Participation Act — commonly known as anti-SLAPP legislation — which allows courts to strike claims that target speech on matters of public interest.

In a written decision released Friday, Justice Jacqueline Hughes agreed, dismissing the claim and concluding the lawsuit was being used against Neustaeter as a political adversary.

The judge also found the mayor failed to demonstrate any link between the statements and actual reputational harm.

“Aside from the plaintiff’s bare assertions, there is no evidence of any causal link between the harms alleged and the defendant’s statements,” Hughes wrote.

The ruling found the dispute stemmed in part from interactions involving Neustaeter’s father, former B.C. MLA Kevin Krueger.

According to the decision, Krueger contacted the mayor multiple times beginning during the October 2022 municipal election campaign. Neustaeter told the court she was concerned about her father’s health, as he had been diagnosed with a neurological condition that leads to dementia, and said she asked the mayor not to engage with him.

The court found the mayor continued communicating with Krueger and later raised Krueger’s health during city council business, alleging Neustaeter was trying to have her father committed despite him being of sound mind.

Justice Hughes ruled the issue became a matter of public interest after the mayor himself raised it with council and circulated related communications.

Neustaeter said she was relieved by the ruling.

“I’m extremely pleased that the court recognized that suing someone to silence responsible political speech is not allowed, and that holding power accountable is necessary,” she said.

Hamer-Jackson said he disagrees with the decision and maintains Neustaeter’s comments were unjustified. He said the lawsuits have taken a financial and emotional toll on him and his family.

“This is very damaging,” he said.

The ruling dismisses one of two defamation lawsuits the mayor has filed against Neustaeter. A second case, filed last July, remains active and is based on separate allegations that the mayor monitored Neustaeter’s bathroom breaks at city hall.

Neustaeter is seeking legal costs related to the dismissed lawsuit, with a hearing on costs expected later this month.

Hamer-Jackson has faced ongoing controversy since being elected in 2022. In 2024, all eight Kamloops city councillors formally asked him to resign, a request he declined. Council has since reduced his pay and removed him as the city’s official spokesperson.