B.C. Appeal Court dismisses female police officers' sexual harassment case
The B.C. Appeal Court ruled that female police officers must use union grievance processes instead of a class-action lawsuit to address their sexual harassment claims.Summary
The B.C. Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by female police officers seeking to launch a class-action lawsuit against municipal police forces for sexual harassment and discrimination. The court upheld a lower court ruling that the dispute should be resolved through the unions' grievance process rather than through the courts. The officers, including former officer Lauren Phillips, argued that the lower court judge erred by treating their claim as a mere labour dispute rather than a systemic claim alleging institutional negligence and structural discrimination. However, Chief Justice Leonard Marchand wrote that the officers overlooked the fact that arbitrators have exclusive jurisdiction over labour disputes under union contracts. Marchand stated that he agreed with the lower court judge's analysis and dismissed the appeal.
(Source：The Province)