The Words She Wrote, and the Harm They Caused

There is a particular weight that attaches to an apology offered at the threshold of a courtroom—a statement that arrives not in the quiet of a private conversation but in the full light of public view, days before a trial that has been years in the making. On Saturday, Chelsea Rooney, one of several defendants in the defamation case brought by former University of British Columbia professor Steven Galloway, published a lengthy apology acknowledging that she communicated "serious and unproven allegations" against him and that she was involved in collecting complaints in an attempt to build a case . The apology appeared in the National Post and on a website, gallowayapologies.com, alongside eight other statements from people who say they regret their communications about Galloway .

The case has a long and painful history. Galloway, a novelist and former chair of UBC's creative writing program, was accused of sexual assault by a former student in 2015. He was never charged. A report commissioned by the university and authored by retired B.C. Supreme Court judge Mary Ellen Boyd concluded the claims were unsubstantiated. Galloway was fired from his position, though he later received $227,000 in damages from UBC for its mishandling of his termination . In 2018, he sued numerous people for defamation, alleging he was falsely accused by fellow professors, a former student, and others who repeated the statements on social media . The Supreme Court of Canada dismissed an appeal by his accusers in 2024, clearing the way for the trial that is scheduled to begin Monday .

In her apology, Rooney wrote that she recognized the communications she circulated caused others to believe they were true. "I recognize that statements and communications about allegations of this nature can cause profound harm to a person's reputation, work, personal life, and family, and did in fact do so to Mr. Galloway," she said. "I deeply regret my role in contributing to the harm Mr. Galloway has suffered in this regard" . She acknowledged that she should not have listened "only to one side" or allowed a one-sided understanding to shape her communications, and she admitted being the person who first passed on the allegations made by the former student . In a short version of the apology, she stated: "I wrongfully accused Mr. Galloway of rape and sexual assault, with no knowledge of whether it was true. I recognize that my conduct was reckless and deeply unfair to Mr. Galloway. I regret it and retract my statements. I unreservedly apologize" .

The timing of the apology is significant. It comes days before the trial is set to begin, and in the wake of major court developments in Galloway's favor. In late September, the court heard that eight defendants, including former UBC professors Annabel Lyon and Keith Maillard, had settled out of court with Galloway. The court also heard that the former student known as A.B. will not attend the trial and will no longer defend herself by maintaining she was sexually assaulted—an admission Justice Neena Sharma described as "very important" and "very significant" . Rooney is among the remaining defendants, and her apology represents a notable shift in a case that has divided Canada's literary community for more than a decade.

Galloway has said he has been unable to write since the allegations were made, and at one point considered suicide. He now sells boats to make a living . Rooney's apology concludes with a recognition that "nothing I say now can undo the harm or give back the years affected by these events, but I am genuinely sorry for the part I played in causing that harm" . The trial begins Monday. Whether the apology will affect its course remains to be seen.

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Sources: CBC News, The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, The Province, National Post