U.S. court tosses case against Canadian government by mislabelled B.C. terrorist
VANCOUVER — A United States court has tossed out a lawsuit that accuses the Canadian government of ruining the life of a British Columbia woman for allegedly giving false information to American authorities that branded her a terrorist and an arms dealer.
In a judgment issued last month, a Washington state district court in Seattle ruled that Perienne de Jaray cannot sue Canada over allegations of malicious prosecution or abuse of process because of an American law that grants immunity to foreign states.
“The Government of Canada defendants are immune under the (Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act) and this court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over them,” said the court in its 17-page ruling, issued Jan. 5.
De Jaray is the former executive vice-president and co-owner of Apex USA, previously a multimillion-dollar subsidiary of electronics maker Apex Canada, which her father launched.