Former Vancouver Olympic organizing committee president and CEO John Furlong reads a statement in Vancouver on September 27, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
January 22, 2013 - 5:36 PM
VANCOUVER - Former Vancouver Olympic CEO John Furlong says the latest allegations accusing him of physically and sexually abusing two previous partners are "completely unfounded."
Furlong has issued a statement saying he will respond in court to the new claims made by reporter Laura Robinson, but for right now, he's mostly concerned about what he says is the irreparable harm being caused to his family.
Furlong is suing Robinson for defamation after she wrote a story for the Georgia Straight newspaper that included allegations from former students who claimed he was physically and verbally abusive while he was a volunteer teacher in B.C. in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Robinson filed her statement of defence yesterday and included new claims alleging Furlong physically abused a former spouse and sexually assaulted another.
None of the accusations has been proven in court and Furlong says in his statement today his legal team will be filing a formal response in court in the next few days.
He called Robinson's statement of claim an unfounded attack on his character and reputation.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013