SUMMERSIDE – The City of Summerside is looking at a hefty legal bill in the Griffin Affair.
The P.E.I. Supreme Court Appeal Division released its ruling today, ordering the city to pay legal fees to Deputy Police Chief David Griffin and those of its own employees.
In a 30-page ruling the court found the City of Summerside and the late George Arsenault, former Summerside Police Chief, liable in the malicious prosecution case and subsequent appeals.
The court ordered that Griffin be paid legal fees in the amount of $125,000 in initial trial costs plus disbursements of $11,982 including applicable taxes and $25,000 plus disbursements and taxes for the appeal hearing.
The court found Griffin liable to pay the trial court costs of Summerside CAO Terry Murphy in the amount of $56,500 and for police Sgt. David Poirier, $75,000.
But the court also ruled that although Murphy and Poirier were found not to be guilty in the malicious prosecution trail, Griffin was within his right to name them in the initial suit.
Under today’s ruling, Griffin can add those costs to his bill to the city and Arsenault “with the result that the city and Arsenault are jointly and severally liable and will reimburse Griffin for his cost obligations.”
The city must now also pay Griffin the settlement he was awarded in the initial trial, which at that time was $73,000. With accrued interest that figure is now hovering around $95,000.
