Jian Ghomeshi

In her book Run Towards the Danger, Sarah Polley recounted that at the age of 16 she had a sexual encounter with Ghomeshi, then aged 28, during which he allegedly injured her and ignored her requests to stop.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Directly implicated

The New York Review of Books published an essay by Ghomeshi reflecting on his public downfall and disputing certain allegations. The text sparked intense controversy over its presentation, omissions and the possibility of media rehabilitation; editor Ian Buruma left his position, and the magazine subsequently acknowledged editorial failures.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Ghomeshi attempted a public comeback with the podcast The Ideation Project. The relaunch prompted a strong reaction; platform Art19 stated that it had suspended the series after receiving complaints, before the content was moved elsewhere.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Ghomeshi was charged with several offences relating to alleged sexual assaults. Two additional charges were dropped in 2015 because there was no reasonable prospect of conviction. At his first trial, he pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking; on 24 March 2016, he was acquitted on all these charges.

Attribution

Accused

In a separate case involving former colleague Kathryn Borel, Ghomeshi apologised in court for workplace behaviour he described as sexually inappropriate, demeaning and an abuse of his power. He entered into a one-year peace bond, and the sexual assault charge was withdrawn.

Attribution

Directly implicated

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

The independent investigation led by Janice Rubin described a pattern of deeply disrespectful behaviour towards employees and concluded that certain sexualised conduct constituted sexual harassment. The report also criticised CBC management for failing to respond adequately.

Attribution

Directly implicated

A former student, Jim Hounslow, publicly accused Ghomeshi of a non-consensual sexual incident while they were at York University. Following the 2014 revelations, York searched its archives and stated that it had found neither a formal complaint nor a formal warning from that period.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Directly implicated

In October 2014, CBC terminated its relationship with Ghomeshi after learning of information it considered incompatible with continuing that relationship. Several women subsequently made public allegations of violence or sexual misconduct, triggering a police investigation and the collapse of his career at CBC.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Directly implicated

Following his dismissal, Ghomeshi sued CBC for 55 M$, alleging defamation and breach of confidentiality, among other claims. A few weeks later, he withdrew the action; CBC stated that the case had been dismissed with costs in its favour and that Ghomeshi was required to pay approximately 18 000 $ in costs.

Attribution

Directly implicated