Judge tosses request for court costs collateral in suit against disgraced former hockey coach

A Manitoba judge rejected an application from disgraced former Winnipeg hockey coach Graham James, seeking collateral for potential court costs in the event a lawsuit ends in a dismissal and an order for the plaintiff to pay James' legal fees.

In a decision released on April 14, Court of King's Bench Justice Sarah Inness wrote that James had spent approximately $50,000 in legal expenses, and expected costs could surpass $100,000 if the case proceeds to a 15-day trial, which is set to begin Oct. 19, 2026.

A summary judgment hearing is set to happen this Friday. A summary judgment hearing is a court proceeding where either the plaintiff or defendant can ask a judge to rule on a claim without a full trial, in cases where the facts are not in dispute or where the outcome is clearly pre-determined by the law.

"James argues that [the plaintiff's] case is doomed to fail and it is unlikely that [the plaintiff] could satisfy a costs award at trial," Inness wrote.

James was seeking a $100,000 security for his court costs.

In his response, the plaintiff argued he has no money or property, with significant debts and low income over the last decade.

The plaintiff "asserts that his claim has sufficient merit that it would be unjust to grant an order that would likely result in the termination of the claim … [and that] granting an order in this case would lead to an injustice whereby James would benefit from the harm he caused," Inness wrote.

The lawsuit, which also names the St. James-Assiniboia School Division as a defendant, alleges the plaintiff was 10 years old and attending Strathmillan School in the fall of 1983.

The plaintiff says the abuse happened in the classroom at the school, as well as at the house of a relative where the plaintiff and his sister were staying.

The man is seeking more than $6 million in damages. James denies the allegations, which have not been proven in court.

James admits to being a substitute teacher for the division in the early 1980s, but denies teaching at the school where the plaintiff went, and that he quit working as a substitute at the end of the 1982-1983 school year, Inness wrote.

CBC News previously reported a 2023 police report indicates James had been employed by the St. James-Assiniboia School Division as a substitute teacher from September 1980 to June 1983.

However, the man accusing James of abuse initially told investigators he "only started attending school in Winnipeg in the fall of 1983," and that it was in 1984 when the defendant was 10 and attending Strathmillan School, according to the January 2023 police report.

According to the report, James was never a teacher at Strathmillan School.

No criminal charges have been laid against James related to the man's complaint.

James is a convicted sex offender who spent several years in prison for sexually assaulting multiple young players he coached in the 1980s and 1990s.