By Daniel Etchells

The sexual assault case against John Furlong has been thrown out ©Getty ImagesA sexual assault case against John Furlong, the former President and chief executive of Vancouver 2010, has been thrown out by British Columbia Supreme Court Justice Miriam Gropper.

Grace Jessie West filed a lawsuit in 2013 alleging that Furlong had sexually assaulted her when he was teaching at Immaculata Roman Catholic Elementary School in Burns Lake, British Columbia, in 1969 and 1970.

But Justice Gropper has ruled that the claims submitted by West were bogus, citing school records which indicated she never attended the school and was actually a pupil at St Joseph's School in Smithers.

During a court testimony, West was unable to name the school she attended where she alleges the abuse occurred.

"On the basis of that evidence and there being no evidence to the contrary, I must find that Ms. West did not attend Immaculata in 1969 to 1970," Justice Gropper wrote in a ruling.

West is one of three people to have alleged Furlong had verbally and physically abused them, claims he has slammed as "completely unfounded" and "horrible, heartless lies and innuendo".

John Furlong (right) was the President and chief executive of Vancouver 2010 ©Getty ImagesJohn Furlong (right) was the President and chief executive of Vancouver 2010
©Getty Images



With police unable to find any evidence, Beverly Abraham withdrew her lawsuit against Furlong last month, claiming it was causing her too much stress, while an unidentified man's legal action is also being questioned as court documents suggest he too attended a different school at the time of the alleged abuse.

The man's lawsuit, for which no application has yet been made for dismissal, is scheduled to begin on March 30.

The allegations against Furlong first came to light in September 2012, when freelance journalist Laura Robinson wrote an article for the Georgia Straight newspaper, quoting several people who claimed to have been verbally and physically abused while being taught by Furlong in Burns Lake and Prince George, in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Furlong, now the executive chair of Major League Soccer club Vancouver Whitecaps, filed a defamation lawsuit against the publication and Robinson, although he later dropped the claims against the newspaper.

Robinson, in turn, filed a defamation lawsuit against Furlong.

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