A BC Supreme Court judge awarded more than $185,000 to the victim of a Prince George man’s 2022 assault.
Michael Benjamin Nahanee sued Jonathan Davidson after a March 8, 2022 attack at his shop in the Mosquito Creek marina in North Vancouver left him with a mild concussion, cut lip and mouth and fractured rib.
“Mr. Davidson’s vicious and entirely unprovoked assault on Mr. Nahanee is reprehensible conduct deserving of specific rebuke,” said Justice Judith Hoffman in a May 5 verdict. “Thus far, this conduct has gone unpunished as criminal charges against Mr. Davidson were not proceeded with. This type of violence must be deterred and denounced.”
Davidson failed to respond to Nahanee’s lawsuit so a default judgment was entered. Nahanee sought $189,000 to $244,100 in damages.
On the night of the incident, Squamish Nation member Nahanee hosted a birthday party for a friend at his shop. After it ended, Davidson, who operated a welding business at the marina, came looking for one of Nahanee’s friends. Nahanee left the shop briefly, but returned and asked Davidson to leave. Davidson responded by punching Nahanee in the head. After the assault, he recorded a video of Nahanee lying injured on the floor.
Nahanee was hospitalized and also suffered emotionally. Hoffman said he became isolated and socially withdrawn for fear of running into Davidson.
“This lasted for a significant period of time as it was not until Mr. Nahanee learned that Mr. Davidson had relocated to Prince George, approximately a year after the incident, that he felt safe to be out in public,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman awarded Nahanee a total $185,047.72 in damages: $80,000 for non-pecuniary loss; $38,365.36 for past wage loss; $36,000 for loss of income earning capacity; $20,000 for aggravated damages; $5,000 for punitive damages; and $5,682.36 for healthcare services.
