It was the lawsuit that led to public backlash against Hockey Canada, to a police investigation being reopened, and to five professional hockey players being charged with sexual assault.听
This week, the woman at the centre of the case acknowledged in court that her lawsuit falsely accused a player she knew 鈥渄idn鈥檛 do anything鈥 the night she says she was sexually assaulted by members of the 2018 Canadian world junior championship team, but maintained she was just following her lawyers鈥 advice.听
The woman鈥檚 claims sparked massive outrage in 2022 after TSN first reported that Hockey Canada had settled a sexual assault lawsuit filed by the woman, who alleged she had been assaulted by eight unnamed 鈥淛ohn Doe鈥 players in a London, Ont., hotel room on June 19, 2018, when she was 20 years old. (The lawsuit demanded $3.5 million in damages; it was settled for an undisclosed sum.)
The woman, whose identity is covered by a standard publication ban, is now the complainant in the ongoing criminal trial of Michael McLeod, Alex Formenton, Carter Hart, Dillon Dub茅, and Cal Foote.
Testifying at trial on Wednesday, the woman acknowledged that one of the players she sued for sexual assault, but who was never charged criminally, Jonah Gadjovich, wasn鈥檛 involved in the alleged incident. While he鈥檚 unidentified in the lawsuit, the complainant named Gadjovich as 鈥淛ohn Doe No. 8鈥 when she sent a statement outlining her allegations to Hockey Canada鈥檚 third-party probe into the alleged assaults in the summer of 2022 鈥 a statement she has now admitted is riddled with errors and was actually written by her civil lawyers.听
She blamed her lawyers for his inclusion in the lawsuit and in the statement to Hockey Canada.听
鈥淚 knew he didn鈥檛 do anything, I never said he did, it鈥檚 because those are the only names I could up with,鈥 she told the jury Wednesday.听
鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we didn鈥檛 go by name (in the lawsuit) because there was no certainty, because that鈥檚 just how it was sent in, I guess. I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 on me.鈥澨
The lawsuit alleged civil wrongdoing of sexual abuse, assault and battery, conspiracy, and false imprisonment against each of the John Doe defendants. Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia told the jury that Hockey Canada settled the lawsuit 鈥渨ithout the knowledge or consent鈥 of the players who had been sued. And she said that on behalf of all the defendants, Hockey Canada did not admit any liability.
The five former members of Canada’s 2018 World Juniors hockey team, left to right, Alex Formenton, Cal Foote, Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube and Carter Hart.
Nicole Osborne THE CANADIAN PRESThe complainant has testified that she took on a 鈥減orn star persona鈥 as a coping mechanism in a hotel room full of men she didn鈥檛 know, as her mind had separated from her body while she engaged in sexual activity with the men. She didn鈥檛 refuse, nor was she physically prevented from leaving. She said the men asked her to fondle herself on a bedsheet on the floor, perform oral sex on them while she was slapped and spat on, and engage in vaginal intercourse.听
Court ended early Wednesday as the complainant broke down in tears while being questioned by Hart鈥檚 lawyer, Megan Savard, about Gadjovich鈥檚 inclusion in her lawsuit鈥檚 statement of claim, which she signed off on.
TSN鈥檚 report on Hockey Canada settling the matter led the sports organization to reopen a third-party probe, as well as to London police reopening their own investigation into the matter and ultimately charging the five players in January 2024. Like the five accused men on trial, Gadjovich has since turned professional. He is a member of the Florida Panthers in the NHL.
The complainant repeatedly told Savard she was just trying to identify people she could remember from June 18-19, 2018, and recalled recognizing Gadjovich in photos from Jack鈥檚 Bar, where she first met McLeod and agreed to go back to his hotel with him.听
鈥淚 could just identify (Gadjovich) from the bar photos, that鈥檚 all I recall ever trying to identify him as, that was it,鈥 she testified.听
She said she was just following her lawyers鈥 advice, saying she was unfamiliar with the legal process.
鈥淚n terms of using him for the statement of claim, just a John Doe, that was out of my hands, honestly,鈥 she testified. 鈥淚 have no experience with this, that鈥檚 lawyer stuff, I don鈥檛 know what I was supposed to do.鈥澨
The complainant has often testified this week that she wanted to be careful when it came to identifying people who may have been involved in the alleged assaults. Savard asked her if it was careful to allow the name of one of the John Does to go to everyone involved in the Hockey Canada investigation when he was innocent.听
鈥淭here were multiple men that night, we had the names that we had and that was we went with,鈥 she testified. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 know better, the average person doesn鈥檛 know that, I鈥檓 following lawyers.鈥
Savard put to the complainant that the men she was suing, including some of the accused now on trial, never had a chance to respond to her civil allegations because they only found out about the lawsuit in the news after Hockey Canada quickly settled.听
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how that has anything to do with me, that would have been Hockey Canada handling that,鈥 she said.听
As for Gadjovich, the complainant believed 鈥渘o harm鈥 had come to him being included among the men who allegedly sexually assaulted her.听
鈥淗e鈥檚 obviously not getting in trouble for anything, so they knew that he鈥檚 probably been cleared,鈥 she said, referring to the Hockey Canada probe. 鈥淚鈥檓 kind of in the blind with the investigation and what comes out of it, so no harm has come from it as far I can see for him right now.鈥澨
Savard also pointed out that the complainant had misidentified two other men in relation to the alleged incidents. She identified Dallas Stars forward Sam Steel in a police photo lineup in 2018 as one of the men to whom she gave oral sex, based on his hair colour, but now believes that was a mistake, given that he wasn鈥檛 charged.听
鈥淚t was my best guess at the time as someone who was involved,鈥 she testified. 鈥淢e telling the officer, I didn鈥檛 think that was me accusing somebody. I didn鈥檛 think that was going to be the person they were going to file charges against.鈥
And then in her 2022 statement to Hockey Canada, which was also obtained by London police as part of their reopened investigation, she identified Ottawa Senators winger Drake Batherson as one of the men who laid down a bedsheet on the hotel room floor, on which the complainant fondled herself.听
鈥淚 believe I have that in the statement, but right now I鈥檓 not feeling very sure on that,鈥 she testified. 鈥淚t just made sense to me that the first people in the room would have been the ones to do that 鈥 but being fully honest and transparent right now, I can鈥檛 say for sure that it was him putting down the bedsheet.鈥
