Kehewin lawsuit dropped, says councilor

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A Kehewin councilor says Chief Gordon Gadwa has dropped plans to sue 13 band members for $500,000.

The chief filed a statement of claim Sept. 25 at Edmonton's Court of Queen's Bench as uncertainty surrounded his future. But it has yet to be served on any of the individuals named in the suit, according to band councilor Roland Dion, one of the 13 people.

And it must be served to be effective, according to lawyer Dennis Roth, who's representing the 13 people.

Roth has yet to file a statement of defense in response to the claim. "Unless they're served, there's nothing more we need to do," he said.

Dion said Gadwa "didn't serve anybody and he's refusing to serve anybody. He backed out of it.

"We point-blank asked him for them but he wouldn't give them to us. We wanted to be served," he said.

It looks like a dead issue for now, he said.

Gadwa was confronted before Christmas at the band office by all 13 people, said Dion.

"He said he wasn't serving anybody, that he was taking everything back," said Dion.

"But come election time in March, I'm sure you'll have a few pages to write then," he said.

While there's some hard feelings between Gadwa and the councilors, "we're all trying our darndest to try and work as closely as we can with each other regardless of the situation," said Dion, who doesn't intend to seek re-election.

"I think people will survive until March."

Named in the suit were five of the six councilors, who attempted in August to have Gadwa removed as chief.

Gadwa in his statement of claim said the 13 people labled him by accusing him of bribery, manipulation, intimidation and patronage. They also accused him of "being evil" and cast "aspersions as to his ancestry," he said.

In an Aug 17 Band Coucil Resolution, the dissident councilors accused the chief of acquiring a treaty number "through questionable means," according to a court document filed by Gadwa's lawyer.

Gadwa, who had been locked out of his office in August regained control of the reserve in late September after meeting with the council and threatening legal action.

Gadwa and his lawyer Saul Birenbaum couldn't be reached for comment.