Brother of mayor in Penticton, B.C. alleges death threat, assault in court documents
Global News
Mayor John Vassilaki denies the assault and said in court documents that he acted in self-defence and allegedly attributes the threats to being 'upset.'
The mayor of Penticton, B.C., is being accused in a lawsuit of threatening to kill his brother and sister, and physically assaulting his brother in a dispute over family finances close to two years ago.
In documents filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Mayor John Vassilaki denies the assault and says he acted in self-defence and allegedly attributes the threats to being “upset.”
A notice of application was filed with the court last week on behalf of Vassilaki’s brother, Nicholas Vassilakakis, who spells his surname differently, seeking to quash a civil claim filed by the mayor. It also asks the court to rule in favour of Nicholas Vassilakakis in an earlier counterclaim he filed, with awards for punitive and aggravated damages.
The notice is the latest in a legal battle that began last August when the mayor filed a lawsuit claiming he hadn’t been paid income from a jointly owned rental property.
It includes a transcript of a phone message the mayor allegedly left for his sister in June 2020, saying money must be returned to him or he would “kill all of you.”
Another transcript from an examination for discovery as part of the legal process shows the mayor allegedly told his brother’s lawyer that he had used “foul language” and threats because he was upset.
The assault allegation was initially made in a counterclaim filed by the mayor’s brother last October, but last week’s court filing adds details. It claims Vassilaki left the voicemail right before driving to their sister’s home, where it alleges he pushed her into a kitchen counter, then pushed his brother onto a couch and choked him.
The police were called and Vassilaki had left before they arrived, it says.
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