Man against mag

>>Father for Justice Andy Srougi takes a break from suing lawyers to haul a small bimonthly to court


SLAPP-ED DOWN: Claude Rioux

by SAMER ELATRASH

He used to scale a bridge in superhero costumes to get attention, but Andy Srougi’s new method of fighting what he says is pervasive judicial corruption through the courts has cast him as a villain among Quebec feminist groups and family law lawyers. The 40-year-old father of two, who lost custody of his two children to his exwife in 2003, is the Montreal coordinator of Fathers for Justice and an impassioned opponent of the justice system—a system whose alleged corruption he blames for his costly divorce and failed custody battle. However, critics are accusing Srougi of abusing the same legal system to intimidate opponents, and one case in particular has rallied feminist activists against him. Srougi is suing À bâbord!, a lefty Quebec bimonthly magazine, for defamation after it printed an article that identified Srougi as a “masculinist.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 14. In his complaint, filed in November 2006, Srougi says the 1,304-word article by Montreal activist Barbara Legault, which mentioned him in a footnote, tarnished his reputation and caused him “emotional problems and stress.” He’s demanding $24,000 in compensation. In her article, Legault defined masculinism as “a specific form of anti-feminism” that blames feminists for men’s problems.

“I don’t hate women and I’m not against feminism,” Srougi says. “I’m a human rights activist.”

The magazine and its supporters accuse Srougi of filing the complaint in bad faith, to hit at the resources of the volunteer-run magazine. “His purpose is to intimidate people with a different point of view,” says À bâbord! editor Claude Rioux. “He wants to make sure feminist activists don’t speak against him. He is making an example out of us. He can’t sue papers like Le Devoir and La Presse.” Critics say Srougi’s lawsuit against À bâbord! is part of a larger problem of lawsuits filed to intimidate opponents. The tactic is called a strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP). In general, “It’s an action intended to prevent activists or other people from acting, rather than winning the case,” says Montreal lawyer Julius Grey. The tactic has also been used against environmental groups by polluting businesses.

HEAVYWEIGHT HELP

According to Rioux, after Srougi filed his complaint, the editors of À bâbord! feared the magazine might fold because they could not afford to defend themselves against Srougi, who represents himself. The magazine issued a call-out for support, and received more than 100 donations, Rioux says. In December, the heavyweights at the Confédération des syndicats nationaux stepped in, pledging to cover À bâbord!’s legal fees. “There’s a tendency of attacking victories made by women for their rights,” says union official Josée Desrosiers. “We can’t be intimidated. I think it’s the attitude of this man that we have to question.” The union’s president also wrote a supportive article in Le Devoir. “If it weren’t for them, we would have broken down,” says Rioux. “[Srougi] thought we were a small group and kicked us, but then all our friends came along.” Srougi says he won’t stand down, and that he might sue the CSN. He’s also threatening to sue La Presse over an unrelated matter. His readiness to sue opponents has had a chilling effect on feminist activists, critics say. Legault says she was hesitant when first approached to write the article. “I didn’t want to write it myself,” she says. “He had taken three people I know before the human rights commission, saying they discriminated against him because they didn’t allow him in a women’s only event.”

Rioux says that a few activists whom À bâbord! had asked to testify in the upcoming hearing declined. “They said no because they are afraid this guy might sue them,” he says.

HOLDING UP THE BAR

Srougi has long maintained that the court system itself is corrupt. “The number one problem is that the judges are incompetent and unaccountable,” he says, adding that the judges are biased toward women in custody cases. He says custody cases should be tried by juries. Srougi has been trying to beat the court system at its own game. In the past few years, he has filed roughly 15 complaints against lawyers. Last January, the Quebec Bar filed a motion before the Quebec Superior Court to prohibit Srougi from filing cases against bar members without the prior approval of a Superior Court judge. “He’s a quarrelsome litigant,” says one source who requested anonymity to avoid professional repercussions. “There have been numerous lawyers acting for spouses of men affiliated with Fathers for Justice who have been the subjects of motions to disbar and complaints.”