All through a March 17 gathering — 10 days sooner than trial — Pidde allegedly ordered the plaintiffs to call her “The Frequent,” and to face in a circle around her whereas stomping their toes. The following week, Pidde reportedly spent most of the prep session dancing to music.
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A lawyer who represented a bunch of fired Edmonton Northlands employees threatened to battle one amongst her buyers and known as her racist names, affidavits obtained by Postmedia allege.
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Earlier this month, the CBC effectively fought a sealing order sought by the earlier parking lot cashiers on affidavits filed in assist of a mistrial utility.
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The cashiers sued Northlands for $9.7 million in 2016, alleging wrongful dismissal and defamation after then-CEO Tim Reid claimed in 2015 that theft was widespread inside the division.
The trial began March 28, nonetheless quickly went off the rails due to the conduct of Glenda Pidde, the plaintiffs’ lawyer. The plaintiffs are trying to find a mistrial, arguing they won’t get a very good listening to given their earlier lawyer’s actions.
Consistent with affidavits filed by six of the 19 plaintiffs, Pidde exhibited uncommon habits sooner than, all through and after trial, along with bumping her chest into one in every of many consumers, “banging” on her courtroom desk whereas loudly saying “I’m able to go” (to the aim a sheriff escorted her from the courtroom), and peppering a plaintiff with “bizarre, racist (and) threatening” messages.
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One plaintiff claims Pidde pejoratively referred to her as an “Indian” on better than a dozen occasions.
“YOU ARE NOTHIG (sic) BUT AF–KING INDIAN,” an e-mail from Pidde’s account despatched at 11:20 pm on March 26 reads. “BECAUSE YOU DO NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH TO STAND UP AND TELL THE F–KING BULLIES TO F–Okay OFF.”
Six minutes later, one different e-mail arrived, calling the plaintiffs “f–king losers” sooner than together with “THAT IS WHY WE CAN STEAL YOUR F–KING LAND.”
After this story ran, Pidde reached out to apologize for her conduct.
“The plaintiffs have a distinctive chief Janet Roberts that after six and half years of litigation, I assumed-about a very good pal,” Pidde talked about in an e-mail. “As quickly as I misplaced her assist and on the (fourth) day of trial … I had no various nonetheless to withdraw from the doc. I am sincerely ashamed, apologize, and regret any foul language.”
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A spokesperson for the Regulation Society of Alberta would not affirm whether or not or not it has obtained complaints about Pidde, together with disciplinary points solely develop to be public when a lawyer is cited beneath the Licensed Profession Act.
A lawyer since 1985, Pidde began performing for the earlier Northlands employees after the events group fired its 38 parking cashiers in 2015. Reid cited an audit claiming theft occurred in 12 to 19 per cent of parking transactions.
After years of licensed backwards and forwards, the trial was set for March 2022. Inside the weeks fundamental as a lot because the trial, nonetheless, Pidde began to indicate “odd and unprofessional” behaviour, the plaintiffs declare of their sworn statements. Angela Pegg described a March 6 trial preparation meeting at Edmonton Inn via which Pidde “demanded that we act like cheerleaders by chanting ‘we’re gonna win’ repeatedly.”
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Further pre-trial conferences adopted. All through a March 17 gathering — 10 days sooner than trial — Pidde allegedly ordered the plaintiffs to call her “The Frequent,” and to face in a circle around her whereas stomping their toes. The following week, Pidde reportedly spent most of the prep session dancing to music.
On March 27, the night time time sooner than trial, Pidde allegedly emailed Pegg asking for a wake-up identify, informing her she was taking “some weed gel capsules to try to get me relaxed enough to sleep.” She later talked about she was consuming wine and requested Pegg to hold gum or mouthwash inside the morning in case she smelled of alcohol or “appear(ed) stoned.”
‘Eratic and offended’
The trial acquired off to a rocky start, with Courtroom of Queen’s Bench Justice Thomas Rothwell warning Pidde to not engage in “non-public assaults” on the defendant’s lawyer.
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Pidde later knowledgeable the select she was “haggard” and “trying to stay awake.”
After the second full day of trial, Pegg drove Pidde home and, on the lawyer’s request, stopped at a liquor retailer and a marijuana dispensary. Pidde moreover “demanded” Pegg put collectively a witness itemizing for her by 10 am the next morning.
On March 31, a lot of plaintiffs gathered to debate issues about Pidde, collectively along with her “screaming” at opposing counsel, lack of preparation, and “unwillingness” to speak with them. They agreed to maneuver a discover to the clerk requesting to talk to Rothwell.
The plaintiffs ran into Pidde on their technique to the courtroom. One plaintiff described Pidde as “erratic and offended” and claims she tried to intimidate her by “bumping her chest into mine twice.” When the plaintiff tried useful the discover to the clerk, Pidde allegedly grabbed the paper and crumpled it, forcing her to write down down one different.
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As quickly because the trial resumed, Rothwell requested Pidde to talk alongside along with her buyers. When court docket docket took a break, Pidde seems left with out speaking to anyone. After lunch, Pidde returned, knowledgeable the plaintiffs to “f—okay off,” then knowledgeable Rothwell she was quitting, the affidavits allege.
After Pidde hand over, the plaintiff who was subjected to the racist emails claims she continued to acquire dozens of texts from her former lawyer’s amount.
In a single message, Pidde allegedly known as herself “YOUR UNPAID B—H FOR THE LAST 6 AND A HALF YEARS” and knowledgeable the plaintiff she “HATES YOUR F–KING GUTS AND … IS GOING TO F–KING DESTROY YOU.”
Totally different messages seek advice from Jesus, the devil, and repeatedly identify the plaintiff “foolish” and a “f–king Indian.” One different threatened to “beat” the plaintiff “until you could be f–king ineffective” and offered to “fistfight” her inside the courtroom.
All through a listening to June 10, the plaintiffs’ new lawyer, Philip Prowse, known as Pidde’s alleged habits “horrible” and talked about the one remedy is a model new trial.
Rothwell reserved his willpower on the mistrial, saying he hopes to have a verdict by July.
Editor’s discover: This story has been updated to include suggestions from Glenda Pidde.