Steven Galloway could have done more to restore reputation, expert testifies

VANCOUVER — A public relations expert says author and former University of British Columbia professor Steven Galloway could have done more to rehabilitate his reputation after he was accused of rape more than a decade ago.

Norman Stowe, a reputation rehabilitation, public relations and crisis management expert, has testified in Galloway’s defamation lawsuit against his accuser, a woman known as A.B., and others who published unproven allegations against him.

Stowe was tapped to produce a report for the defence of A.B., whose name is subject to a publication ban, and told B.C. Supreme Court he’d never worked on a file involving someone accused of rape, but efforts to rehabilitate someone’s reputation involve the same steps regardless of the nature of the issue.

The court heard Stowe believed Galloway had a “strong path to reputational rehabilitation” and could have resumed some version of his writing career, though he conceded under questioning by Galloway’s lawyer that his report incorrectly stated the author had made no efforts to do so.