Galloway Trial Examines UBC Payment and Lawsuit Threat

Financial dealings between the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the former student who accused author Steven Galloway of sexual assault have emerged as a central issue in his defamation trial in Vancouver. On Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, the B.C. Supreme Court heard evidence about a $30,000 university payment to the woman and her subsequent threat to seek up to $3 million from the institution.

The proceedings concern Galloway's claim that allegations of sexual assault and harassment damaged his reputation, ended his academic career and disrupted his personal life. The woman, identified as A.B. under a publication ban, and three other defendants remain in the case after other defendants settled.

According to evidence presented in court, A.B.'s lawyer, Joanna Birenbaum, emailed UBC associate vice-president of equity and inclusion Sara-Jane Finlay on April 7, 2016, thanking the university for its “very quick transfer of funds.” Galloway testified that he learned in 2017 that the payment amounted to $30,000. The payment had previously surfaced during arbitration over his dismissal from UBC.

Galloway, who chaired the university's creative-writing program, argued that A.B. was not eligible for the money because she had already graduated. His testimony focused on whether the payment and subsequent communications could be relevant to his defamation claim.

“There's no academic reason to have given this,” Galloway said during questioning by his lawyer, Daniel Burnett.

Burnett also questioned Galloway about internal university correspondence from December 2016 concerning a draft statement of claim in which A.B. threatened to sue UBC for up to $3 million. The proposed lawsuit cited negligence, breach of contract and other alleged wrongdoing. The court did not hear what ultimately happened to that threatened action.

Burnett argued that the financial communications were relevant because they could bear on whether his client was entitled to damages. A.B.'s lawyer, Arden Beddoes, objected that Galloway was being asked to speculate about the meaning of internal university emails.

“The documents speak for themselves,” Beddoes said.

The judge nevertheless allowed questioning about the compensation because Burnett argued it could be relevant to his client's allegation of malicious conduct. He characterized the issue as part of the dispute underlying the defamation action.

“The communications by or on behalf of A.B. getting and seeking money out of UBC is arising from the very thing that is the defamation,” Burnett said.

A.B. is not testifying in the trial. At its outset, Beddoes withdrew her defenses of truth and fair comment but did not concede that she had made false allegations about her former romantic partner. Beddoes also told the court that A.B. had attempted suicide twice in recent months amid the stress of the proceedings.

Galloway was suspended and later dismissed from UBC following the allegations, which became public in 2015. The university terminated him as creative-writing program chair without severance, citing a breach of trust. A retired judge appointed by UBC to investigate concluded that, on a balance of probabilities, it could not be established that Galloway had committed sexual assault or assault. He was never criminally charged.

The trial has also revisited the consequences for Galloway's writing career. His 2008 international bestseller, The Cellist of Sarajevo, generated as much as $1.5 million in royalties, according to testimony. A planned film adaptation was optioned but never made. Galloway said he had signed a contract for three books about a ventriloquist detective before the allegations surfaced, but subsequently struggled to continue writing and secure paid speaking engagements.

He described his later annual book royalties as having “cratered” to about $5,000 to $10,000 a year “tops.” He also testified that he received no invitations for speaking engagements after the controversy.

Galloway said the public dispute affected people who supported a letter criticizing UBC's handling of the case. Published in November 2016, the letter, titled “UBC Accountable,” included literary figures such as Margaret Atwood. According to Galloway, some signatories later removed their names after facing “extremely hurtful” online comments, while others experienced professional and personal repercussions.

He testified that some friends who believed he was innocent nevertheless distanced themselves because association with him could amount to “career suicide.” He also said that, after winning an arbitration award against UBC, he “briefly had the hope” that the social-media backlash would fade, but the online posts continued. The arbitration did not restore his university position.

Galloway said he would not have returned to the university even if offered substantial compensation, declaring, “I wouldn't have gone back for a million dollars a year to that place.” Lawyers for the four remaining defendants were scheduled to begin cross-examining him on Friday, Oct. 9, 2026.