UBC Professor Says She Relayed Sexual Assault Allegations Against Steven Galloway Without Verifying Claims
Shraddha Tripathy
11/5/20265 min read
The ongoing defamation trial involving bestselling Canadian author Steven Galloway has heard testimony from a senior University of British Columbia professor who acknowledged sharing allegations of sexual assault against him without independently verifying the information.
Annabel Lyon, currently director of UBC's School of Creative Writing, appeared in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Tuesday, November 3, as the first witness called by the defence.
Lyon testified that she was a colleague and friend of Galloway when allegations emerged in November 2015 involving a former graduate student whose identity is protected by a publication ban.
The student, identified in court documents as A.B., accused Galloway of sexual assault and other misconduct.
Galloway, the award-winning author of The Cellist of Sarajevo, has denied the allegations and is pursuing a defamation lawsuit against A.B. and three other defendants who allegedly helped circulate the claims.
During cross-examination, Lyon acknowledged that she communicated the student's accusations to university administrators and faculty members without conducting an independent investigation into their accuracy.
Her testimony has brought renewed attention to how allegations were handled within the university and the circumstances surrounding Galloway's dismissal.
Professor Says She Served as Messenger for Allegations
Lyon told the court that she became involved after A.B. disclosed allegations against Galloway in November 2015.
According to her testimony, the student asked Lyon to communicate the accusations to other faculty members and senior university officials.
A.B. also wanted the university to understand that she was prepared to approach national media if UBC failed to take action.
Lyon said she passed along that information during meetings with faculty and university administrators.
Under cross-examination, she acknowledged that she had not attempted to independently establish whether the accusations were accurate.
Instead, she viewed her responsibility as communicating the information provided by the student.
"I saw myself as a conduit for the information," Lyon told the court.
She explained that she did not consider it her role to change or selectively present the details she had been asked to share.
Lyon also testified that she initially believed A.B.'s account and had spoken with her by telephone about the allegations.
Her evidence offers insight into how the accusations moved through the university before becoming the subject of wider public attention.
Court Hears About Report Alleging 19 Additional Complaints
The trial also examined a separate document prepared by former UBC student Chelsea Rooney.
Rooney, who had previously alleged that Galloway sexually harassed her, compiled a report claiming that 19 other students had complaints concerning the author.
The report was prepared within a short period and was not based on a formal university investigation.
Lyon acknowledged sharing the document during a meeting at the dean's office.
She testified that university officials had asked her to communicate the information.
However, the claims contained in the report had not been independently substantiated by Lyon.
The distinction is important because the existence of a report containing complaints does not establish that the alleged incidents occurred.
Rooney was among the individuals originally named in Galloway's defamation lawsuit.
She has since issued a public apology acknowledging the harm caused by her role in circulating unproven allegations.
The report and its distribution remain relevant to the trial as the court examines how information about Galloway spread within UBC and beyond.
Lyon Acknowledges Regret Over Student's Incomplete Thesis
Another part of Lyon's testimony concerned her involvement in A.B.'s academic supervision before the allegations surfaced.
Lyon served as a secondary reader for the student's graduate thesis, while professor Keith Maillard was the primary supervisor.
The court heard that A.B. submitted an incomplete manuscript in July 2015 as part of her graduate work.
Lyon said she was uncomfortable approving the submission because it did not satisfy her understanding of the program's thesis requirements.
She raised those concerns with Maillard but testified that he asked her to sign off on the work so the student could graduate.
Lyon ultimately agreed.
She told the court that she continued to regret the decision, explaining that she had deferred to her more senior colleague despite her reservations.
During additional testimony on Wednesday, November 4, Lyon said the experience later prompted her to develop clearer policies concerning the completion and approval of graduate theses.
She characterized the situation as an isolated incident rather than a widespread academic practice.
The testimony provided further background about the relationships among the university staff and graduate student involved in the later dispute.
Galloway's Dismissal Followed University Investigation
Galloway was suspended from his position at UBC in November 2015 after the university announced it was investigating serious allegations against him.
At the time, he was a tenured professor and chaired the university's creative writing program.
UBC subsequently appointed retired B.C. Supreme Court judge Mary Ellen Boyd to examine the complaints.
The investigation concluded that the sexual assault allegations could not be substantiated on a balance of probabilities.
That conclusion did not amount to a criminal court finding, and the investigation also examined separate questions about professional conduct.
Despite the findings concerning sexual assault, UBC dismissed Galloway in June 2016, citing a breakdown of trust associated with misconduct.
Galloway challenged aspects of the university's handling of the matter through arbitration proceedings.
In 2018, he was awarded $167,000 after an arbitrator determined that certain university communications violated his privacy rights and damaged his reputation.
A subsequent arbitration awarded him another $60,000 over additional privacy and confidentiality breaches.
Those proceedings were separate from the defamation lawsuit now being heard in B.C. Supreme Court.
Defamation Lawsuit Continues After Multiple Settlements
Galloway filed his defamation lawsuit in 2018 against more than 20 individuals, including former students and university colleagues.
He alleges that the circulation of false accusations caused severe harm to his reputation, professional relationships and ability to continue his writing career.
Several individuals originally named in the lawsuit have since reached confidential settlements.
Lyon was among those defendants but is no longer a party to the proceedings after reaching an out-of-court settlement.
Other former defendants, including Rooney, have issued public apologies.
The case now proceeding before the court involves A.B. and three remaining defendants.
Galloway testified earlier in the trial that he and A.B. had been involved in a two-year affair while both were married, ending in 2013.
The nature of that relationship has been disputed, and the court has heard that A.B. is not relying on the truth of the alleged defamatory statements as a defence.
A.B. is not expected to testify at the trial.
Court Examines How Allegations Were Shared
Lyon's testimony has placed particular attention on the distinction between receiving allegations, believing them and distributing them to others.
The proceedings are examining whether statements made about Galloway were defamatory and what consequences, if any, should follow from their publication.
Lyon also told the court that she had wanted to support students who reported complaints about Galloway, including after the university's investigation concluded.
She described concern among students who felt that their experiences had not been adequately acknowledged.
At the same time, she confirmed that she had not personally investigated the allegations and did not have access to the full report prepared by Boyd.
The testimony illustrates the competing concerns surrounding the case, including the responsibility to take reports of misconduct seriously and the need to avoid treating unverified allegations as established facts.
The trial remains underway in Vancouver, with the court continuing to hear evidence about the original allegations, their circulation and the effect they allegedly had on Galloway's personal and professional life.
No final decision has been reached in the defamation proceedings.
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