Toronto Councillor Michael Thompson found not guilty (and not drunk) in sexual assault case
The charges date back to a Muskoka cottage weekend in 2022
Councillor Michael Thompson has been found not guilty of sexual assault. The charges against the long-time public servant and sitting city councillor were laid after a Canada Day cottage weekend in 2022. The prosecution alleged that Thompson, who was a deputy mayor at the time, used his power to lure two women (whose names are protected by a publication ban) to Muskoka under the guise of a networking opportunity that ended up being more of a boozy bender at a buddy’s cottage.
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One woman claimed that Thompson touched her inappropriately while applying her sunscreen. A second woman alleged that she woke up to find Thompson on top of her, trying to force her to perform oral sex. Thompson denied all of the charges. He says his application of sunscreen was non-sexual in manner and that the sexual encounter was consensual. His lawyer called the case against him a “witch hunt” and an example of #MeToo run amok.
The verdict, which came in yesterday afternoon, appears to hinge largely on witness credibility relating to alcohol intake. In his 40-page decision, Justice Phil Brissette wrote, “While there was evidence [Thompson] smoked weed, he was not [as] impaired or intoxicated as the other parties there.” Though Brisette found that the councillor’s account of events was “convoluted and lacked a reasonableness to it,” he explained that he also had “concerns about [the accusers’] sobriety and ability to accurately recall details of what happened, noting a number of inconsistencies in their testimony.” He ruled that the allegations could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
Thompson, who spoke with media outside the courthouse, is framing the whole thing as an elaborate revenge plot perpetuated by jilted “business people” who did not get the deal they wanted from him. His accusers have yet to comment on the verdict.
Courtney Shea is a freelance journalist in Toronto. She started her career as an intern at Toronto Life and continues to contribute frequently to the publication, including her 2022 National Magazine Award–winning feature, “The Death Cheaters,” her regular Q&As and her recent investigation into whether Taylor Swift hung out at a Toronto dive bar (she did not). Courtney was a producer and writer on the 2022 documentary The Talented Mr. Rosenberg, based on her 2014 Toronto Life magazine feature “The Yorkville Swindler.”
