I note that Lord Doherty's opinion on the defamation case brought by Gail Munro against Derek Brown is now online here:
http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinions/2011CSOH117.html

Lord Doherty has found in Gail's favour, and has awarded damages of nearly £22,000.

Bob

EXCELLENT NEWS

Last line in the legal statement is -  "I reserve meantime all questions of expenses".

I have read the report and if i were the pursuer I am not sure I would be too happy with the award or indeed the judges statement on expenses... indeed i am not sure what that means...does it require another petition?
I think the report needs read very very carefully.
For sure the "judge" has no doubt that Gail was wronged but between being dropped and DB's statement to the press there seems to be a lot of muddy water. Maybe Gail will be happy to just draw a line under it......maybe...

Thanks Bob......that will surely be the crux of the matter!

Bet they dont put that up on the RCCC website news !

But the question remains whether the RCCC will put out a retraction and apology? After all they cant second guess the findings of a Judge can they?

Also what must the USA assoc be thinking about their new employee?

Gail was treated shabbily but I think derek was also a victim of the system...  it was not the first time someone was dropped after all...but it may be the first time a player has decided loyalty to her team (and skip) was more important than her individual ambition (i know others think differently and I respect their opinions).
The CBC article cited above states that Gail won her case that "she had been pulled from the team" in Vernon. Of course this is not the crime in Scotland. The crime would have been if DB had not pulled her from the team. There can be no doubt he was under pressure to take this action by his employers, whether by explicit or implicit instruction will never be known.
What happened between Gail being dropped and the press conference is bad management and communication and that led to DB making the defamatory comments. ( I am not excusing the "i'm pulling rank etc" but like i say that is not the crime here). The real culpability here is not within the courts remit...but we have had that discussion before....often.
DB is a convenient scapegoat but there are much bigger issues. It is interesting that no-one on here thinks the "selection" of teams for the euro playdowns is even worthy of comment.
I wish Derek all the best in the USA.

I absolutely do get the point supersub81...I was not sure the CBC headline did. Gail was awarded damages because DB said she refused to play. The amount of damages was 40% of what Gail was seeking because ( I assume) the judge ruled that DB may well have believed what he was saying was correct. In my opinion the judge should have ruled that DB was obliged to speak with Gail directly between games rather than depending on a sub-ordinate which makes the whole judgement flawed in my humble opinion. However we must take it that there was no obligation on DB to do so. And THAT is the crux of my argument.

There are ways that an athlete who is your national champion should be treated. It is patently clear there were no safeguards that ensured that the "minimum" respect and courtesies deserved by Gail (or any athlete) would be shown. For the national champion to be dropped there should be a clear procedure set in stone. To be announced out of the blue during a de-brief is just the worst thing I can imagine ever happening to any participant in any sport. It is disgusting.
To be treated as she was is down to more than one man. It is born of a system that completely lacks respect for your national champions and has done so for a number of years.
Whatever anyone thinks of DB you can bet he was under immense pressure (due to precedent if nothing else) to drop Gail and that is the only defence of DB I make. It is obvious he did not have the man management skills/ training or indeed the instruction neccessary to deal with this situation. He is a convenient scapegoat for a management structure that was completely flawed and the buck for that should lie elsewhere.

For the avoidance of doubt I am not in any way denying the hardship and trauma suffered by Gail or the fact that it is particullarly galling given all that Gail, in particular, and her family in general have done for Scottish curling over the years. She deserved better.