A former Manitoba grand chief who was removed from his position over sexual assault allegations is fighting back.
Arlen Dumas is filing a counter-lawsuit after he was sued by a former female co-worker of his who alleged Dumas sexually assaulted her multiple times.
Dumas, who lost his position as AMC Grand Chief in August 2022, says the allegations are “defamatory, untrue, and maliciously made.”
He says, as a result, his reputation has been damaged, he’s lost business opportunities and has suffered public humiliation.
Get daily Winnipeg news
A lawsuit filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench on Aug. 30 against Dumas claims the former grand chief committed “at least eight” instances of sexual battery against the plaintiff, including rape.
The plaintiff claimed Dumas created a “hostile and inappropriate” work environment within days of her promotion, ranging from sending inappropriate text messages to calling her pet names and commenting on her appearance.
In one alleged incident detailed in the lawsuit, the plaintiff went on a date in which she drank until she became drunk. According to the lawsuit, she texted Dumas to pick her up from her date’s home, but has little memory after that.
The plaintiff alleges she woke up naked in Dumas’s bed the next morning, when Dumas “overpowered her, put her on her stomach on the bed, wrapped his arm tightly around her to restrain her, pushed her head and neck down into the bed, and forcibly sexually penetrated her.”
Dumas is seeking an unspecified amount of damages.
-with files from Nicole Buffie