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Tartan Towing has filed a second lawsuit against Winnipeg Deputy Mayor Janice Lukes and Zakria Shoaib, director of Bison Towing. The lawsuit alleges additional defamatory comments were made against the company in recent media reports. The Winnipeg Sun was provided with a copy of the statement of claim filed in the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Friday.
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The statement accuses Lukes and Shoaib of making remarks that reinforce Tartan’s allegations of bribery. These comments were reportedly made during interviews for a different Winnipeg newspaper article and a CBC broadcast following Tartan’s first lawsuit earlier this month.
Tartan and two of its owners are seeking unspecified general, special, and punitive damages from Lukes, Bison Towing, and Shoaib. The company claims the comments have caused significant harm, leading to racially charged correspondence directed at its East Indian and Sikh employees. This includes hate mail, threatening phone calls, death threats, and threats to burn down the business premises.
The lawsuit alleges that Lukes’ statements were made to gain political advantage at the expense of Tartan and its employees. Tartan also claims that Shoaib’s remarks in the media contributed to the damage to its reputation.
The City granted Tartan Towing the new contract despite an ongoing dispute between Tartan and the City of Winnipeg. The city accused Tartan of overcharging it by $1.1 million, prompting a countersuit from Tartan. Both cases are currently before the courts.
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