The Government of New Brunswick says a lawsuit filed by a doctor who allegedly faced racist attacks after being accused of breaking COVID-19 rules should be thrown out of court.
The Office of the Attorney General filed a Court of Queen’s Bench motion on June 28, asking for the suit to be “struck out entirely.”
Dr. Jean Robert Ngola was accused of violating New Brunswick’s Emergency Measures Act while working as a family doctor in Campbellton, N.B., during a COVID-19 outbreak in the area in May 2020.
The Crown later withdrew the case, concluding there was no chance of conviction.
Dr. Ngola said he faced racist comments on social media after Premier Blaine Higgs referred to an “irresponsible” health-care worker during a COVID-19 update. He adds the premier should have known the doctor would face abuse.
Government says Ngola’s 61-page statement of claim for the countersuit is repetitive, unnecessarily complicated and “an abuse of the process of the court,” adding that it fails to make a reasonable case against the province.
Ngola’s suit lists the province, the RCMP and Facebook’s owner, Meta, as defendants.
The motion said the matter was being handled by the RCMP.
