Wishart lawyer cleared, Crimson Ridge lawsuit dismissed

A lawsuit launched earlier this year against Sault Ste. Marie lawyer Orlando Rosa in connection to the Crimson Ridge golf development has been dismissed, Rosa's lawyer, Andrew Sanfilippo of Toronto, announced this afternoon.

The third-party claim was dismissed yesterday by Justice Gladys Pardu of the Superior of Court of Justice.

The summary dismissal was ordered on consent from the complainants, who must pay Rosa's legal costs, said Gord Acton, a partner of Rosa's at Wishart Law Firm and a spokesman for the Wishart partners.

"It means that the allegations against Orlando have been, by the dismissal of the action, shown to be without merit," Acton told reporters in a telephone conference call with Rosa, who is currently in Victoria B.C. on a client's behalf.

Rosa said that he's hopeful that yesterday's decision will help resolve a flurry of suits and countersuits over the Crimson Ridge development.

A countersuit against John Vanbiesbrouck remains active.

The following is the full text of a written announcement received today from Wishart Law Firm:

******************** A third-party claim against Sault lawyer Orlando Rosa in conjunction with the Crimson Ridge Golf Course has been concluded with those launching the allegations having to pay legal costs.

As part of the claim, the 13 defendants sought $3.5 million in danages, alleging "illegal interference in economic relations and conspiracy."

At the time, Wishart Law dismissed the allegations as 'baseless' and an attempt to deflect attention from their client John Vanbiesbrouck's suit for $3.5 million in damages and punitive damages against 22 other individuals and companies involved with him in the Crimson Ridge golf development.

Speaking on behalf of Wishart Law, lawyer and partner Gord Acton said, "The settlement proves what we all know, and that is that Mr. Rosa did not act inappropriately and the allegations were absurd."

"Our firm is the longest-established and largest in the area and Mr. Rosa is a key part of our success; he is well regarded as highly principled and ethical in all dealings and has a long list of extremely satisfied and long-standing clients.

"From the beginning, anyone who knows Mr. Rosa dismissed the allegations as baseless and nonsensical. It seems the action was simply a feeble attempt at distraction. We never thought that the allegations had merit, and that is why a motion for summary dismissal was made at the first opportunity. We are, of course, very pleased that the action against Mr. Rosa is now dismissed."

Orlando Rosa is in Victoria, British Columbia acting on a client matter there this week.

In a statement, he said, "I'm pleased that this matter has been dismissed and that those putting it forward now have to pay all legal costs assessed. This is a full vindication in my view that I did nothing wrong.

"With this misguided allegation cleared up we can no continue to focus on our client John Vanbiesbrouck and we hope to have announcements regarding that matter in a few weeks."

Wishart Law is Sault Ste. Marie's largest and longest-established, multi-disciplinary law firm.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Early versions of this article referred to John Vanbiesbrouck as the complainant in the dismissed action against Orlando Rosa. SooToday.com regrets the error.

In an unrelated development, Crimson Ridge made the following announcement today:

******************** 2005 Crimson Ridge Demo Day – Open to the Public!

Crimson Ridge Golf Club invites you to come out to the Driving Range/Golf Academy on Tuesday, May 31 to try out the latest golf clubs from Titleist and Cobra Golf.

Titleist and Cobra representatives will be here at Crimson Ridge with their equipment to showcase the latest developments and to let you try out the club of your choice!

Where: Crimson Ridge Golf Club – Driving Range

When: Tuesday, May 31 2005

Time: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.

********************