Two Victoria Realtors accused of sexually assaulting a client at their real estate office in 2018 have filed a statement of defence, denying the allegations.
The men, Bowman Rutledge and Andy Rogers, are responding to a civil suit filed against them last month in B.C. Supreme Court by a former client.
She says she hired the two men in December of 2017 to sell her house. It sold two months later and changed possession in May of 2018.
The plaintiff, who CBC has agreed not to name because she is an alleged victim of sexual assault, says in August of 2018 she agreed to meet Rutledge to celebrate the sale of her home.
Instead, says her statement of claim, she was met by both Rutledge and Rogers, who lured her to their place of business, Engel & Volkers Vancouver Island, on the premise of having to do some paperwork before heading out.
She alleges that upon arrival at the office, she was handed a glass of wine that was drugged and quickly began to feel ill and disoriented.
She says that’s when both men allegedly sexually assaulted her. The suit also names the real estate agency.
The statement of defence says both Rutledge and Rogers “support survivors of sexualized violence and deny the alleged acts attributed to them.”
The response says Rutledge and the client had been longtime friends and became closer as they worked on the process of selling her home during the winter of 2017-2018.
It says the two regularly exchanged messages on social media, including the client “sending nude photographs of herself to Rutledge.”
This woman is suing the two Victoria real estate agents she hired to sell her house in 2018, alleging they drugged and sexually assaulted her in their real estate office. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)
After her house sold, says the response to the suit, Rutledge and the woman behind the civil suit stayed in touch via social media.
“Specifically, [the plaintiff] continued sending suggestive messages and often sought to, and in fact did, engage Rutledge and Rogers, in social settings,” it says.
The response alleges that the woman asked to join both Rutledge and Rogers for drinks on the night in question, and says all three met outside her apartment building in downtown Victoria, then drove to the accused’s real estate office where they had drinks in the boardroom.
“There was no discussion of a document that required execution or transmission for any purpose. The sole purpose of attending at the office was to stop for alcoholic beverages,” says the statement of defence.
They deny drugging her drink and deny “the particulars of the alleged sexual assault,” says the response.
The statement described the office as having floor to ceiling windows facing a main Victoria street and says there is “only a narrow strip of privacy frosting on the windows.”
It says the boardroom is where the three spent “all material times.” The response alleges that after drinking at the office, all three continued to socialize and frequently communicate for many months.
It says the client frequently “liked” social media posts by the Realtors and in the weeks following the evening at the office, asked Rutledge whether there was a possibility of a romantic relationship.
It also says she invited both men to join her downtown in the fall of 2020, and on Jan. 28, 2021, she texted Rutledge to ask for information about potential oceanfront vacation rentals.
The client first reported allegations of the sexual assault in February of this year, on @survivorstoriesproject — an anonymous Victoria-based instagram account for sexual assault survivors.
By that time, Rutledge and Rogers were working for a different real estate company, which fired them as soon as the allegations surfaced.
After the civil claim was filed last month, Scott Piercy, owner of Engel & Volkers Vancouver Island, issued a statement saying, “We have just become aware that our firm has been named in a civil lawsuit related to disturbing allegations involving two former independent contractors. We will act on the advice of legal counsel and address these concerns through the court system once we receive more information.
“We remain a dedicated, professional and ethical team of licensed advisors and these allegations do not represent who we are. Any form of sexual misconduct is wholly unacceptable and will not be tolerated within our industry or our community.”
Vancouver lawyer Janelle O’Connor is representing the plaintiff in the civil action. She did not respond to a request for comment by deadline.
The Victoria lawyer for the defendants, Nav Parhar, declined to comment beyond the statement of defence.
HALIFAX – A village of tiny homes is set to open next month in a Halifax suburb, the latest project by the provincial government to address homelessness.
Located in Lower Sackville, N.S., the tiny home community will house up to 34 people when the first 26 units open Nov. 4.
Another 35 people are scheduled to move in when construction on another 29 units should be complete in December, under a partnership between the province, the Halifax Regional Municipality, United Way Halifax, The Shaw Group and Dexter Construction.
The province invested $9.4 million to build the village and will contribute $935,000 annually for operating costs.
Residents have been chosen from a list of people experiencing homelessness maintained by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia.
They will pay rent that is tied to their income for a unit that is fully furnished with a private bathroom, shower and a kitchen equipped with a cooktop, small fridge and microwave.
The Atlantic Community Shelters Society will also provide support to residents, ranging from counselling and mental health supports to employment and educational services.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 24, 2024.
Housing affordability is a key issue in the provincial election campaign in British Columbia, particularly in major centres.
Here are some statistics about housing in B.C. from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s 2024 Rental Market Report, issued in January, and the B.C. Real Estate Association’s August 2024 report.
Average residential home price in B.C.: $938,500
Average price in greater Vancouver (2024 year to date): $1,304,438
Average price in greater Victoria (2024 year to date): $979,103
Average price in the Okanagan (2024 year to date): $748,015
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Vancouver: $2,181
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Victoria: $1,839
Average two-bedroom purpose-built rental in Canada: $1,359
Rental vacancy rate in Vancouver: 0.9 per cent
How much more do new renters in Vancouver pay compared with renters who have occupied their home for at least a year: 27 per cent
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Voters along the south coast of British Columbia who have not cast their ballots yet will have to contend with heavy rain and high winds from an incoming atmospheric river weather system on election day.
Environment Canada says the weather system will bring prolonged heavy rain to Metro Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Valley, Howe Sound, Whistler and Vancouver Island starting Friday.
The agency says strong winds with gusts up to 80 kilometres an hour will also develop on Saturday — the day thousands are expected to go to the polls across B.C. — in parts of Vancouver Island and Metro Vancouver.
Wednesday was the last day for advance voting, which started on Oct. 10.
More than 180,000 voters cast their votes Wednesday — the most ever on an advance voting day in B.C., beating the record set just days earlier on Oct. 10 of more than 170,000 votes.
Environment Canada says voters in the area of the atmospheric river can expect around 70 millimetres of precipitation generally and up to 100 millimetres along the coastal mountains, while parts of Vancouver Island could see as much as 200 millimetres of rainfall for the weekend.
An atmospheric river system in November 2021 created severe flooding and landslides that at one point severed most rail links between Vancouver’s port and the rest of Canada while inundating communities in the Fraser Valley and B.C. Interior.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 17, 2024.
