Premier Kathleen Wynne is suing Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown for libel and seeking $100,000 in damages from her main political rival.Wynne’s legal team filed a statement of claim in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice on Monday — less than six months before the June 7 election.The premier is seeking $50,000 in damages for defamation and $50,000 in aggravated, exemplary and punitive damages.She also wants a retraction and for the Tory leader to cover her legal costs.The lawsuit was sparked by a Sept. 12 media scrum at Queen’s Park, where Brown told reporters Ontario had “a sitting premier sitting in trial” and that Wynne “stands trial” in Sudbury.Wynne’s lawyers say that was “false and defamatory” and because the premier “was not on trial for bribery and has not been investigated by the police.”The Tory leader’s comment came the day before the premier testified as a Crown witness in the trial of Patricia Sorbara, her former deputy chief of staff, and Sudbury Liberal activist Gerry Lougheed.Sorbara and Lougheed were acquitted in October after Judge Howard Borenstein dismissed the Election Act case against them for lack of evidence. It was a rare directed verdict, delivered before any defence witnesses were called.While Brown was not available for comment, his office said it was “disappointing” Wynne alerted the media before telling the Tories about the lawsuit. “Mr. Brown has not been served with or seen the statement of claim. This is yet another effort to distract attention from her government’s record,” said Brown’s press secretary, Nick Bergamini. “It’s no coincidence that this baseless suit comes the same day the PCs called for an OPP investigation into ineligible expenses claimed by insider energy executives,” Bergamini said. The action comes as the Tories are themselves under police investigation for allegati ...
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