Toronto Star reporter to sue Mayor Rob Ford over comments

Toronto Star reporter Daniel Dale is going to sue Toronto Mayor Rob Ford over comments the mayor made during an interview with Conrad Black.

Toronto Star editor Michael Cooke made the announcement of the defamation lawsuit on Twitter Thursday afternoon.

#robford reporter Daniel Dale will sue over the pervert accusation with the Toronto Star's full and complete support. Stand by.

— Michael Cooke (@TorStarEditor) December 12, 2013

In the interview, which aired Monday on Vision TV, Ford seemed to suggest that Dale—who has been reporting on the mayor’s ongoing problems during the crack video scandal—is a pedophile.

On Tuesday, Ford told reporters he stands by his words.

On Wednesday, Dale wrote a story in the Star refuting Ford’s claims, under the headline “Rob Ford is lying about me, and it’s vile.” Dale wrote that he had consulted a lawyer and was considering his options.

In an article posted on the Star’s website Thursday, Dale writes that he was ready to announce his intentions not to sue on Thursday morning. Then he heard Ford making the same false accusations on a D.C. sports radio station Thursday morning. “I planned to say in my announcement that I would reconsider my decision if the mayor were to repeat his lies in the future,” Dale writes. “I woke up this morning to learn that he is already repeating them.”

Dale writes that if ZoomerMedia, which owns Vision TV, and Ford do not apologize, he will launch further legal action. The video of the interview where Ford originally made his comments was already removed from both the Vision TV website and YouTube earlier in the week.

Dale also writes that he will remain on the city hall beat, with support from the Toronto Star.