Canucks forward Jake Virtanen denies sex assault allegations in response to lawsuit
Warning: This story contains a graphic description of sexual assault that readers may find upsetting.
VANCOUVER – Vancouver Canucks forward Jake Virtanen has filed a response to a Victoria, B.C., woman's lawsuit accusing him of sexually assaulting her back in 2017.
Virtanen's accuser, who is identified only as M.S. in court documents, has alleged the professional athlete drove her to a hotel in West Vancouver on Sept. 26 of that year and forced himself on her.
In his response, Virtanen acknowledged having sex with M.S. but said she consented "through her words and conduct."
"Mr. Virtanen says that he did not physically force the plaintiff to have intercourse with him," it reads. "Mr. Virtanen further denies that the plaintiff expressed any indication, verbal or physical, that she did not want to engage in sexual activity."
The response specifically denies that Virtanen "used his body weight and superior strength" to render M.S. powerless, quoting from her lawsuit, which was filed last month in B.C. Supreme Court.
Both M.S. and Virtanen agree that they met at the Calgary Stampede in July 2017, and exchanged text messages throughout the summer.
M.S.'s lawsuit claims Virtanen asked her to meet up with him after she came to Vancouver for a photoshoot and to visit friends on Sept. 26 of that year.
She said Virtanen picked her up from a friend's house in North Vancouver and drove her to a hotel, where she alleges that he touched and kissed her body while ignoring her repeated assertions that she did not want to have sex.
"Virtanen proceeded to push open the plaintiff's legs and to have sexual intercourse with the plaintiff without the plaintiff's consent," her lawsuit reads.
M.S.'s statement of claim indicates she was "a youth" at the time of the incident, but does not give her age. Virtanen was 20.
According to his response, Virtanen "understood that the plaintiff was 18 years old" when they met in Calgary.
The allegations in the documents have not been tested in court.
Virtanen remains on leave from the Vancouver Canucks, pending the results of an independent investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against him.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.