Legal battle dismissed between firefighter, paramedic suing each other

A legal battle has been dismissed between a city firefighter and paramedic who sued each other over allegations of racism and defamation.
On Nov. 30, in Manitoba's Court of King's Bench, Justice Herbert Rempel dismissed the legal actions between firefighter Kelcey French and paramedic Nishanth Jayaranjan.
Both French and Jayaranjan will be paying their own costs, according to a written judgment.
It brings to a close a legal battle between the two men that started more than two years ago.
French first filed a statement of claim against Jayaranjan, alleging he was the target of a 'defamatory campaign' stemming from an Oct. 7, 2020, emergency call.
READ MORE: Winnipeg firefighter sues paramedic for $600K alleging defamation in accusations of racism
According to the claim, French attended to an Indigenous woman who was suffering from a self-inflicted stab wound to the neck.
The claim says when French got in the ambulance Jayaranjan was "hostile and aggressive," insulting him with "profanity and slurs." It goes on to allege Jayaranjan, "deliberately falsified a patient care report" to make it look like he did not care for the victim promptly, and sent an email to the fire chief and 10 others saying French refused to help Jayaranjan during the emergency call, alleging this was "racially motivated."
The events prompted a third-party review of the incident.
The claim goes on to allege Jayaranjan sent the email to a Winnipeg reporter leading to an article about the incident, and used an anonymous Reddit account to post, "further defamatory comments."
Jayaranjan then filed a statement of defence and counterclaim against French, denying the allegations in his claim.
READ MORE: Winnipeg paramedic files counterclaim in defamation suit filed by firefighter
Jayaranjan's defence and counterclaim alleged French had been the one who was hostile and aggressive, and did not assess the patient. The counterclaim said Jayaranjan believed French's refusal to provide service and his hostile behaviour was motivated by complaints he previously brought forward relating to “racism within the WFPS.”
The written judgment does not disclose the reasons why the matter is being dismissed.
None of the allegations in the claim and counterclaim were tested in court.
Derek Olson, the lawyer representing Jayaranjan, told CTV News the matter had been resolved but was not able to provide any further details.
CTV News has reached out French's lawyer for comment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Powerful quake rocks Turkiye and Syria, kills more than 2,600
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked wide swaths of Turkiye and neighbouring Syria on Monday, killing more than 2,600 people and injuring thousands more as it toppled thousands of buildings and trapped residents under mounds of rubble.

'Buildings are broken': Calgary man in Turkiye describes disaster scene post-earthquake
Calgarians at home and abroad are reeling in the wake of a massive earthquake that struck a war-torn region near the border of Turkiye and Syria.
New details emerge ahead of Trudeau-premiers' health-care meeting
As preparations are underway for the anticipated health-care 'working meeting' between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada's premiers on Tuesday, new details are emerging about how provinces anticipate the talks will unfold.
Strongest earthquake to hit Buffalo in decades causes 'surreal' rumbles in southern Ontario
A 3.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Buffalo, N.Y. Monday morning was felt in southern Ontario, officials say.
Full snow moon considered 'micromoon' because of distance from Earth
February's full snow moon, which first appeared this weekend, will light up the sky over the next two nights, with the spectacle already reaching full illumination on Sunday morning. But this year's full moon was smaller than those of recent years.
Former Liberal MP Raj Grewal seeks dismissal of charges due to lack of evidence
A former Liberal MP is seeking the dismissal of two criminal charges connected to his time in office. Raj Grewal's lawyer argues that prosecutors have not presented enough evidence to find him guilty of the two breach of trust charges, and the Crown has failed to establish essential elements required for such a finding.
Google notifying Canadian employees impacted by global layoff of 12,000 workers
Google says Canadian employees affected by recently announced job cuts are being told today whether they have been laid off.
Big tech job cuts keep coming; Dell latest to trim headcount
The tech industry started the year with a wave of job cuts, around 50,000 in January alone, and there doesn't appear to be any let up this month. Here's a look at some of the companies that have announced layoffs so far.
Former Halifax medical student accused of murder claiming self-defence: lawyer
The lawyer representing a former medical student accused of murder says her client will testify that he shot another student in self-defence when a drug deal in Halifax turned violent.