Galloway accuser skipped UBC thesis

Steven Galloway’s accuser, known as A.B. due to a publication ban, was allowed to graduate from the University of British Columbia (UBC) creative writing program despite never completing a thesis.

This is according to testimony given by UBC creative writing professor and director Annabel Lyon at Galloway’s defamation trial in B.C. Supreme Court Tuesday. Lyon said she “signed off” on A.B.’s incomplete thesis when pressured by fellow professor Keith Maillard. Lyon and Maillard are both former defendants who settled with Galloway ahead of trial. Maillard retired from UBC in 2025.

Regarding her decision to allow A.B. to graduate without a thesis, Lyon told the court that she “squared it with (her) conscience” by promising A.B. that she would read a future thesis at any time.

“I regret this very much,” she told the court.

Lyon was called as the first witness in A.B.’s defence.

The defence’s examination of the professor focused on what role they allege UBC played in advancing A.B.’s allegations, while Galloway’s cross examination focused on the ways in which they allege A.B. attempted to have UBC officials act on her behalf. A.B.’s legal team described in their opening statement that they intend to argue that their client was “not instrumental” in directing UBC’s response to her rape allegations, which, if successful, may lessen any damages awarded against her.

Lyon testified that she has known Galloway since 1998, when she audited a creative writing class at UBC in which Galloway was a student. She said that their families became friends and she used to often say that she “thought of (Galloway) as an annoying little brother.”

As per Galloway, he and A.B. had a consensual affair from 2011 to 2013. They were both married at the time. A.B.’s unproven sexual assault allegations against Galloway went public in November 2015. Galloway was fired as UBC creative writing professor and program chair in June 2016. Retired judge Mary Ellen Boyd, hired by UBC to independently investigate the allegations, found, on a balance of probabilities, that no sexual assault had occurred and that the claims were unsubstantiated.

Lyon testified that she learned of A.B.’s allegations against Galloway in a Nov. 2015 phone call from Maillard. She said she agreed to attend a faculty meeting that was held at another professor’s home the following day. This is the same faculty meeting that other witnesses have testified about extensively during the trial. As per Lyon, Maillard also told her that A.B. told him that she had at one point filed an RCMP report against Galloway — but later retracted it out of fear that police would contact him.

Lyon told the court that she first spoke to A.B. about her allegations over the phone the following day, when a crying A.B. called her and described having experienced “a period of sustained abuse” with Galloway. “She really objected to the term ‘relationship,’” said Lyon.

Lyon said she agreed to share materials provided by A.B. at the faculty meeting later that day. These materials included a written statement by A.B. claiming that a CBC legal team had vetted her allegations and found them “damning,” and wanted to feature her story in a Fifth Estate documentary (CBC journalist Ronna Syed previously testified that this never happened), plus voicemails Galloway left on A.B.’s phone. Lyon testified that she also told her colleagues at the faculty meeting that A.B. would go public with her allegations if no action was taken by UBC.

Later, under cross examination by Galloway lawyer Daniel Burnett, Lyon said that she can’t recall whether she threatened to resign from her position if Galloway wasn’t immediately suspended. She admitted that she was “very angry” and used the phrase “get Steve out” during the meeting. Lyon said she meant this as in “getting (Galloway) out of the hallway pending an investigation, so it would feel like a safe space” for others to come forward “if they had something to say.”

Read the full article at the National Post.