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The next day, Palmer obtained the EPO against Denis and his mom. “I’m not going to tell you how old my mom is, but my mom would never hurt a flea, so including my mother in the EPO was all really upsetting.” On April 25, Denis had to resign from cabinet because there was a matter before the courts. Following a four-day hearing, Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Craig Jones revoked the emergency protection order, stating that Palmer was not in danger of violence from Denis or his mom.

That, however, didn’t stop the “crazy allegations” from being reported in the media.

Palmer had also alleged that Denis did drugs, but he says, “I’ve never done an illegal substance in my entire life. I’ve never even smoked a cigarette,” he said.

“I’m very grateful for Associate Chief Justice Rooke’s judgment that we received on Feb. 25,” said Denis. “It’s my hope that the public would see that the trust that was placed in me as their MLA and as a minister was not misplaced.

“This has been the worst thing that I have ever dealt with in my entire life. Not just because of how it’s affected me but it’s also affected someone I love, most notably my mom, whom I think the world of,” he said, his voice cracking. “I have a lot more compassion as a lawyer for the wrongfully accused, having been through this.

“If there’s one thing I’m guilty of is falling in love with someone that did not feel the same way about me, obviously,” he said, shrugging. “That hurts.”

Denis is not seeking any monetary damages from Palmer, he just wants his name cleared. And while it wasn’t easy, he has “come to a place of forgiveness” and says, “I wish her well.”

But it’s not just Denis who was harmed here. Valuable police and court resources were wasted as a result of these fraudulent accusations made solely to squeeze money out of a successful man who fell in love.

These kinds of false accusations will continue to be used as a vicious tool against others as long as there are no consequences for those who make them.

People such as Palmer need to be held accountable for their actions.

Licia Corbella is a Postmedia opinion columnist.lcorbella@postmedia.com