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Court orders Cuthbert to put forward $15k before defamation lawsuit proceeds

Cuthbert has been camped on a plot of land off Atlin Road
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Crystal Schick/Yukon News file Shelley Cuthbert has been ordered to pay $15,000 before her defamation lawsuit can continue.

Yukon dog rescue owner Shelley Cuthbert must pay $15,000 before her defamation lawsuit against her former Tagish Estates neighbours and two other people can move forward.

In a decision Nov. 28, Yukon Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale, following an application by the defendants, ordered Cuthbert to pay the security of costs by Dec. 31, noting the court costs she’s already incurred.

If she doesn’t, the defendants will be able to apply to have her lawsuit struck in full.

Cuthbert is suing seven of her former neighbours who brought a successful nuisance lawsuit against her when she was still running her rescue out of a home in the Tagish Estates neighbourhood. She’s also suing two other women she’s had legal dealings with in the past, and is seeking $1 million in damages for, among other things, “destruction of reputation, emotional distress and property damage which includes pain and suffering of the dogs.”

Cuthbert, along with her dogs, left her Tagish Estates property earlier this year following an unsuccessful appeal of her neighbours’ lawsuit, which had resulted in a court order requiring her to get rid of all but two of her dogs.

She’s been camped on a plot of land off Atlin Road ever since, and, as a result, is now also involved in a legal battle with the Yukon government over whether she can stay.

Contact Jackie Hong at jackie.hong@yukon-news.com