N.L. government ordered to pay legal fees for 10 HMP officers charged in Henoche case

The provincial government is on the hook to pay 10 defence lawyers for their work defending 10 correctional officers charged in the death of Jonathan Henoche.

CBC News has confirmed the province lost an arbitration hearing against the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees, the public sector union representing the officers. A decision was sent to all parties on Thursday morning.

NAPE notified the correctional officers via email, enclosing a snippetof the ruling, in which arbitrator James Oakley wrote, "The employer is required by Section 36 [of the officers' collective agreement] to pay legal fees incurred by the grievorsuntil such time as there is a determination by the facts or the courts that the grievors have been deemed to have performed in a negligent manner."

Section 36 deals with who pays legal fees when a personis charged or sued while acting in their role as a correctional officer. It says the province is responsible except in cases where officers are deemed negligent by "facts or the courts."

Seven officers are charged with negligence causing death, and three are charged with manslaughter in the death of inmate Jonathan Henoche on Nov. 6, 2019.

Sources have told CBC News Henoche was involved in a physical altercation with officers in his cell. He was taken to the segregation unit and later died. His death was ruled a homicide by the province's chief medical examiner.

The 10 officers' first court appearance was Feb. 11, whendefence lawyers said they didn't have enough time to review all the documents handed over by the prosecution, and a second date was set for March 11.

No facts have been proven by the court, but the province had refused to pay the officers' legal fees, while saying it was abiding by its interpretation ofthe collective agreement. NAPE disagreed, and filed a grievance.

The hearing was held on Feb. 19. CBC News has yet to obtain a full copy of Oakley's decision.

NAPE declined comment Thursday afternoon. Messages to representatives of the provincial government were not immediately returned. This story will be updated if the Department of Justice and Public Safety responds to a request for comment.

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador