Charges against ex-Mountie after police watchdog investigation meant to silence him, lawsuit claims

A former Mountie is suing the Manitoba government for at least $2 million in damages, claiming the province's police watchdog laid criminal charges against him because he spoke up about how the RCMP deals with sex crimes and sexual harassment complaints.

In a statement of claim submitted to the Manitoba Court of King's Bench on Monday,former constable Erik Grimolfson alleges two criminal charges against him which were stayed in 2023 were in retaliation for him speaking out internally about a "lack of resources invested by RCMP into sex crimes against the most vulnerable," and because he escalated sexual harassment issues within the RCMP to his superiors.

The suit says Grimolfson, 43, had eight years experience with the RCMP and was "a vocal advocate for the rights of the victims of sex crimes, in particular Indigenous women and girls."

Grimolfson had been charged with assault and assault causing bodily harm in 2022 in connection with two incidents that were investigated by the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba the agency that is, under the province's Police Services Act, responsible for investigating all serious incidents involving police officers in the province.

One incident stemmed from a July 2021RCMP call in Selkirk,during whichofficers arrested a man in connection with a domestic assault. Officers alleged the man hit one of them and a fight ensued. X-rays later showed the man had a broken rib.

The other incident was connected witha vehicle collision in Winnipeg in November 2021.

The IIUalleged at the time an off-duty RCMP officer involved in the accident didn't stay at the crash scene,and that the officer failed to exchange contact and insurance information with the other driver.

In both cases, the IIU concluded that there were"reasonable grounds to believe a criminal offence occurred" and authorized charges against Grimolfson, according to an April 2022 news release from the watchdog agency.

'Personally targeted': lawsuit

His statement of claim alleges he was "personally targeted with criminal charges" for reasons that included "to silence and retaliate against him for his advocacy."

Grimolfson maintained he was innocent and pleaded not guilty to the charges, his lawsuit says.

Crown prosecutorsconcluded last year there was no reasonable likelihood of conviction in either instance, and the charges againstGrimolfsonwere stayed.

Grimolfson'slawsuit claimsthe IIU was negligent in itsinvestigation, which he alleges was notconducted to the standard required of specialized police investigators. He claims investigators didn't interview relevant witnesses and that thestandardto lay criminal charges was not met.

The statement of claim also alleges the IIU's April 2022 newsrelease announcing the charges was "reckless and malicious" andcontained "untrue defamatory statements or innuendo," including "that he acted wrongfully, that he is violent, and that he is a criminal."

The lawsuit claims Grimolfson's reputation has been "irreparably harmed," that the investigation resulted in "psychological injuries" that forced him to retire early from the RCMP, and that he isstill unable to work.

None of the claims have been tested in court and no statement of defence has yet been filed.

The province of Manitoba said in a statement Thursday the IIU is aware of the lawsuit, but has no further comment because the matter is before the courts.

CBC News has also reached out to Grimolfson's lawyer for comment.