Justice Kenneth Ball--the British Columbia judge presiding over Todd Standing's recent court case to force government acknowledgment of the existence of Sasquatch--submitted his decision on September 4th, ordering that the "claim of [Standing] is hereby struck out and dismissed, without leave to amend, as the claim has no reasonable prospect of success."

Justice Ball cited a lack of precedent as provided by Standing's counsel, stating that the "counsel for the plaintiff acknowledged that there was no prior precedent, of which he was aware, in this or any common law jurisdiction where a court has made the type of declaration sought by the petitioner on the existence of any species or scientific fact."

In response to Standing's claim of discrimination due to his belief in Sasquatch, the judge responded that Standing's "belief in the existence of the Sasquatch is not an immutable personal characteristic," and that "the government’s non-acknowledgement of the Sasquatch does not in any way prohibit or restrict the plaintiff’s ability to express his thoughts, beliefs, and opinions regarding the Sasquatch. Not revealing 'specific locations where Sasquatch sightings occur' is the decision of the plaintiff, and in no way infringes upon his ability to espouse his beliefs regarding Sasquatch existence."

The ruling came after Justice Ball initially chose to reserve his decision and submit it later in writing, following Standing's first court appearance several weeks ago. The judge suggested at the time that the matter was more fit for the executive branch of the provincial government to decide.

This is a sizable setback for Standing, who has been plagued by controversy since the release of his purported documentary Discovering Bigfoot; from accusations of silencing critics to profiteering to skepticism of the motivation behind the two lawsuits claiming to prove the existence of Sasquatch. The most recent accusation leveled against Standing came in the form of an article by Tyler Huggins which asserted that the participants in Todd Standing's various video enterprises were aware that what they were participating in was a deliberate mockumentary. Huggins later issued a statement challenging Standing to "release any and all participants in any of [Standing's] efforts surrounding Sasquatch, of any confidentiality agreements they signed."

Standing has yet to comment on the allegations.

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