Author Steven Galloway’s wife testifies about post-allegations mental health struggle

“His whole world was about the Canadian literary community.”

Justice Neena Sharma began the second day of the trial in Vancouver by granting continued anonymity to a defendant in the long-running defamation case, first filed in 2018.

The judge said the woman, referred to as A.B., has shown that identifying her would carry objective harms and specific risks, and allowing anonymity is in line with protecting the privacy and dignity of sexual assault complainants.

Sharma said the woman has withdrawn her defence of her statements against Galloway as justified, but has not admitted that her accusations are false and the court can’t make assumptions until it hears all evidence.

The court heard on Monday that the woman, a former student of Galloway’s, received hateful and vitriolic messages after she was identified in news articles related to the author’s lawsuit.

A.B. had sought an indefinite order to keep her identity under a publication ban, but Sharma’s order will expire within six weeks of a ruling in the case, although she can apply to extend it.

Sharma said A.B. is not participating in the trial due to her fragile mental state, which has included suicide attempts, though she’s shown “resilience” dealing with past proceedings before the trial.

The court has heard from both Galloway’s and A.B.’s lawyers about their clients’ mental health struggles, including suicide attempts, in the years since the accusations became public.

Galloway’s defamation lawsuit was originally filed in 2018 against numerous defendants who allegedly defamed him online and in other forums by repeating unproven allegations of rape.

The court has heard that four defendants remain.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press

by The Canadian Press

Author Steven Galloway’s wife testifies about post-allegations mental health struggle

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