Ex-CEO of Alberta health authority asks for lawsuit against her to be tossed

The former CEO of Alberta’s health authority is asking a court to throw out a defamation lawsuit launched against her by Premier Danielle Smith’s ex-chief of staff, arguing that allegations she has made about political interference in procurement are protected by legal privilege and were in the public interest.

Marshall Smith, the Premier’s former aide, is suing Alberta Health Services’ onetime head Athana Mentzelopoulos for claims she made in her own lawsuit against the Alberta government, saying she has “mischaracterized, cherry-picked, and taken out of context” portions of their discussions to suggest that he improperly pressed her to benefit certain private companies.