Langley Township mayor sues rivals over anonymous online posts, names Coleman and Richter

Township of Langley Mayor Eric Woodward is taking several of his political rivals to court, alleging they were behind a coordinated campaign to spread damaging accusations about him through an anonymous Facebook group and website.

The defamation lawsuit, filed jointly by Woodward and township councillors Rob Rindt and Timothy Baillie, targets former B.C. Liberal cabinet minister Rich Coleman, veteran councillor Kim Richter, and several others. It centres on content from The Langley Monitor website and the Facebook group Langley Township Watch, which criticized multimillion-dollar fire truck contracts awarded under Woodward’s leadership.

In court documents, Woodward’s lawyer argues the posts and videos implied corrupt dealings between the mayor and the company that received the contracts. “They contained a number of claims that are quite serious and posted anonymously,” Woodward told CBC News. “You just can’t allow that to stand.”

Neither Woodward’s allegations nor those made against him have been tested in court. Coleman declined comment, and Richter did not respond to requests for comment.

Alleged $250,000 campaign

An affidavit released this week says Meta was compelled to identify the creator of the Langley Township Watch page as Angelo Isidorou, executive director of the B.C. Conservative Party. His firm, Fountainhead Communications Ltd., is alleged to have been paid $250,000 — including $150,000 for ads — by a company directed by Coleman.

The documents include emails and texts purportedly exchanged between Coleman, Isidorou, and political organizer Micah Haince, discussing content strategy and invoices. One email allegedly forwarded by Coleman referenced plans to release videos painting Woodward as a misogynist and linking him to financial controversies.

Haince is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, but Isidorou is not.

Questions over landlord notices

The affidavit also notes earlier eviction-style tactics aimed at other tenants in Woodward’s building, suggesting what the mayor’s legal team calls “a broader pattern of questionable practices.”

For now, the case continues to wind through the courts, with no trial date set.