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
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.
Djokovic needs medical attention after getting knocked on the head by a water bottle at Italian Open
Novak Djokovic needed medical attention after apparently getting knocked on the head by a water bottle after a win at the Italian Open on Friday.