OTTAWA – According to court records, Senator Mike Duffy is suing the Senate for $8 million in general damages, loss of income and punitive damages arising from the criminal accusations over the fraudulent expense allegations. He has also submitted his most recent expenses requisitions for $2 million in travel, accommodation and renovations to his Senate offices.
“The completely unfounded allegations of overcharging taxpayers for his jet setting lifestyle have caused my client undue loss of reputation and emotional harm,” said Duffy’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon. “He had to take multiple publicly funded trips to the Bahamas just to manage the stress.”
“Mr. Duffy wants to put this matter behind him and get on with life at his primary residence in Cavendish, PEI.”
Mr. Duffy is arguing that the Senate and unnamed senators “acted unconstitutionally” as it suspended him without pay, and that his office needed the 3 plasma screen televisions plus 10 new iPhone 7s in order to function.
Although the lawsuit has only just been announced, Mr. Greenspon did acknowledge that his client may be willing to settle for less than the full 8 million as long as the government apologizes and agrees not to request receipts for the $150,000 Duffy claimed in “research costs.” Or if Stephen Harper and Nigel Wright just pay the whole thing for him.
However Greenspon refused to comment on rumours that Duffy’s claim would be joined with similar lawsuits from Patrick Brazeau and Pamela Wallin, or that the three had reservations for a business dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Ottawa tonight.
