Alberta premier's former top aide files lawsuit against ex-AHS CEO, newspaper and journalist

Madeleine Cummings · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 5:33 PM EDT | Last Updated: 6 minutes ago

The erstwhile main of unit to Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has launched a multi-million-dollar defamation suit against the erstwhile caput of Alberta Health Services, on with the Globe and Mail paper and one of its reporters.

Marshall Smith, who resigned arsenic Danielle Smith's main of unit successful the autumn and is not related to her, filed a connection of assertion successful the Edmonton Court of King's Bench connected Wednesday afternoon.

The lawsuit names Athana Mentzelopoulos, the erstwhile president and CEO of AHS, the newspaper, its Calgary newsman Carrie Tait, and an unnamed antheral who is believed to beryllium a erstwhile committee subordinate for the wellness authority.

Smith, who lives successful Calgary, was the premier's apical adjutant until Oct. 31. The premier said connected societal media that helium told her successful aboriginal 2024 that helium had decided to discontinue from nationalist service.

Smith's connection of assertion alleges the paper defamed him successful a February communicative astir Mentzelopoulos's termination written by Tait. 

The communicative refers to a letter, sent from Mentzelopoulos's lawyer to AHS's interim wide counsel, that alleges she was fired successful January due to the fact that she launched an probe and forensic audit into AHS contracts and deals with backstage surgical companies.

Mentzelopoulos's wrongful dismissal suit

Mentzelopoulos is suing the state for wrongful dismissal, alleging she was terminated successful portion due to the fact that she had started investigating contracts and deals she determined were overpriced and linked to authorities officials.

AHS and Adriana LaGrange — the erstwhile curate of wellness who connected Friday became the caller curate of superior and preventative wellness services — have denied Mentzelopoulos's claims successful statements of defence that allege she was fired owed to her occupation performance. 

The state has appointed a erstwhile main justice from Manitoba to behaviour a third-party probe into procurement. The auditor wide and Alberta RCMP are besides investigating the matter.

None of the allegations, including Marshall Smith's claims this week, person been proven successful court.

Smith's caller lawsuit

Smith alleges successful his connection of assertion that the missive and the Globe's February communicative that referred to it contained mendacious and defamatory statements astir him. These included allegations that helium pressured Mentzelopoulos to motion disconnected connected commitments for caller chartered surgical facilities and appeared to beryllium making calls connected behalf of backstage organizations. 

Smith claims the letter, oregon a transcript of it, was fixed to the paper by someone helium believes was connected the AHS board.

Smith besides alleges that Mentzelopoulos made mendacious statements astir him successful tribunal documents filed arsenic portion of her suit against LaGrange and AHS.

He said defamatory statements made by Mentzelopoulos and the Globe painted him successful "the worst imaginable light." He said helium has since mislaid income, suffered affectional distress, stress, depression, anxiety, embarrassment, nonaccomplishment of reputation, humiliation and an inability to find enactment successful his profession.

Smith claims Mentzelopoulos mischaracterized and cherry-picked pieces of conversations with him to effort to marque it look similar helium was acting improperly during the procurement process for backstage surgical facilities. 

The erstwhile main of unit said successful his assertion that helium asked astir the presumption of contracts but was not progressive successful chartered surgical facilities' bidding, dialog oregon procurement processes and did not effort to beforehand the interests of backstage parties.

He is seeking $12 cardinal successful damages from Mentzelopoulos, the Globe and Mail and Tait, positive an injunction directing the paper to region the nonfiction from its website. 

Smith's lawyer, Philip Prowse, said his lawsuit has nary further remark connected the substance arsenic it is earlier the courts. 

Mentzelopoulos's lawyer and the Globe and Mail person not yet responded to requests for comment.