Phil Demers’ lawyer once gave him a stern warning: he shouldn’t use his bullhorn megaphone at a protest outside MarineLand, the Canadian entertainment park near Niagara Falls. If he did, the park, which was already in the process of suing him, could take further legal action.
He didn’t listen. On 18 May 2019, he took to the streets and climbed a ladder among a throng of protesters, bullhorn hot in his hands. BAAAAAR-BAAAAAR. He screamed that the park would never silence him or anyone else.
Phil grins as he recalls the day. “I didn’t make it easy on him,” he says about his lawyer.
Six years earlier, in March 2013, MarineLand had filed a lawsuit demanding C$1,5 million (about R19m) from Phil, who had worked as an animal trainer at the park for 12 years. He’d quit the previous year after getting fed up with the animal suffering he said he had witnessed.
Yet MarineLand didn’t sue him for libel. Instead, they sued him for trespassing and plotting to steal one of their heaviest residents: a 544kg walrus named Smooshi, with whom Phil had formed a bizarrely close bond.
At the time Phil said the park’s allegations against him were a complete work of fiction.
“I could do nothing but laugh,” he says now.
Within a month, he had filed a counterclaim for defamation and abuse of process, thinking everything might get resolved within a year or two. But the legal battle stretched over a decade and accrued costs of around C$250 000 (R3,1m), pushing him to his financial and mental limits.
This story is from the 2 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the 2 February 2023 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL!
Kourtney Kardashian and other celebs are honouring the glory of new moms' postpartum bodies
LEON'S ORDEAL IS NO JOKE
Pain has dominated entertainer Leon Schuster's life after a serious back injury landed him in bed. But despite being depressed he remains hopeful he will recover so he can get back to work
'BREAK THE SILENCE'
That's the message of the Scottish comedian who turned his experience of stalking and sexual abuse into a hit Netflix show
A PLACE OF HOPE AND HEALING
Damaged people and abused dogs find a safe haven and a chance to start again at this farm in the Cape Winelands
FROM SPERM DONOR TO DAD OF 37
Peter Ellenstein's life took an unexpected turn when a message from a daughter he never knew he had led to him meeting dozens of his children and exploring what it means to be a father without ever having raised them
GRATEFUL FOR EVERY BREATH
A double lung transplant has given this chef a second chance at life - and he'll never forget the young man who made it possible
THE GAMES ARE GO!
Preparations are well under way in the City of Lights for the world's greatest sporting spectacle
MAKE YOUR VOTE COUNT
We break down what the new rules are and what to expect for the seventh national elections later this month
TOM'S A TOP GIFTER
He's known to go ALL OUT for his movies and stunts, so it's no surprise TOM CRUISE also PULLS OUT ALL THE STOPS for his friends when it comes to GIFTS
TAMING THE BEAST
Recognising and managing your anger can make for a happier and healthier you