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A decision released today by Justice Denise Boudreau awards $52,640 in damages to Laura Doucette, the Nova Scotian woman who was defamed by Department of Justice investigator David Grimes in 2012.


As we’ve previously reported, Grimes was the officer assigned to evaluate Doucette for a firearms license so she could complete the Correctional Worker and Policing Foundations program she was taking through Success College. In the course of that investigation, Grimes got it in his head that Doucette and her husband were suspects in an armed robbery. He then repeated that information to her instructors and Dalhousie Security, where Doucette was employed for her work placement.
But Grimes was dead wrong. Reporter Kim Hart Macneill writes:

“Even though the only evidence was Grimes’ word, Doucette was dismissed from her work placement and unable to graduate. No one at the school investigated the allegations.”
Justice Boudreau calls Grimes’ actions “offensive and inexplicable” in today’s decision.
“He used the opportunities presented by his position to cause havoc in the life of the plaintiff,” Boudreau writes. “He did this in complete ignorance of whether the allegations were true and with a complete lack of diligence in deterring their truth…And all of this he did in cavalier fashion, with entirely callous disregard for the results his woulds would have.”
Boudreau awarded Doucette $35,000 in general damages, $15,000 in aggravated damages and $2,640 in special damages for lost work. No punitive damages were awarded.


Doucette’s lawyers, David Coles and Meghan Russell, had originally asked for $350,000 in damages to cover legal costs, reimburse Doucette’s tuition and act as a deterrent. The Department of Justice’s lawyers argued for $30,000. For transparency’s sake, it’s worth mentioning that Coles has provided legal expertise to The Coast in the past.
Boudreau found that Doucette was dismissed from her Dalhousie Security work placement—but not from her Success College program—because of Grimes’ actions. Though the decision says the events had a “truly unfortunate” impact on Doucette’s mental health, Boudreau also writes that she doesn’t believe Doucette is permanently setback from the incident. All those factors limited the damages awarded, even while Boudreau said Grimes’ actions “showed a completely reckless, I would say appalling, disregard for the plaintiff’s reputation and dignity.”
Effective as of March last year, all of the justice department’s firearms officers now have to undergo mandatory confidentiality training. Last we checked, David Grimes is still employed by the province. The only disciplinary action taken against him is a letter from his supervisor to the human resources department.
This article appears in Jan 21-27, 2016.
How does Grimes get to keep is job? If this would have happened in the private sector he would have been fired. A person in his position should have known better.
It was a mistake not to have award punitive damages. Clearly this has been mismanaged and inappropriately addressed by the Justice Department. That should have been recognized by the judge and an award provided to the complainant so as to deter any future mismanagement.
Sometimes the problem is not necessarily with the ruling government but within the staff structure itself. This is clear evidence. With the degree of trust ministers place within that stuff structure, there is a great likelihood of cronyism, favoritism and back room deals. This is evidenced over and over again. The legal system has responsibility to ensure the government is held in check. It fails to do so on multiple levels.
On a different note… I assumed the link, “a letter from his supervisor” was a link to just that; it is not. Maybe offer a better reference to your past story and link it there.
You know that this shithead grimes probably hauls in double the amount awarded every year. Fucking asshole. And this guy keeps his job? Too bad this wasn’t a private employer.