LONDON, Ontario (AP) — The judge handling the trial of five Canadian hockey players accused of sexual assault dismissed the jury Friday after a complaint that defense attorneys were laughing at some of the jurors.
Ontario Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia will now handle the high-profile case on her own.
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Cal Foote, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Michael McLeod, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Carter Hart, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alex Formenton, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, passes protestors as he arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Dillon Dube, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
The issue arose Thursday after one of the jurors submitted a note indicating that several jury members felt they were being judged and laughed at by lawyers representing one of the accused as they came into the courtroom each day. The lawyers, Daniel Brown and Hilary Dudding, denied the allegation.
Carroccia said she had not seen any behavior that would cause her concern, but concluded the jury’s negative impression of the defense could impact their impartiality and was a problem that could not be remedied.
Michael McLeod, Dillon Dube, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Alex Formenton were charged with sexual assault last year for an incident with a then-20-year-old woman that allegedly took place when they were in London, Ontario, for a Hockey Canada gala celebrating their championship at that year’s world junior tournament. McLeod faces an additional charge of being a party to the offense of sexual assault.
All have pleaded not guilty. None of them are on an NHL roster or have an active contract with a team in the league.
The woman, appearing via a video feed from another room in the courthouse, has testified that she was drunk, naked and scared when men started coming into a hotel room and that she felt she had to go along with what the men wanted her to do. Prosecutors contend the players did what they wanted without taking steps to ensure she was voluntarily consenting to sexual acts.
Defense attorneys have cross-examined her for days and suggested she actively participated in or initiated sexual activity because she wanted a “wild night.” The woman said she has no memory of saying those things and that the men should have been able to see she wasn’t in her right mind.
A police investigation into the incident was closed without charges in 2019. Hockey Canada ordered its own investigation but dropped it in 2020 after prolonged efforts to get the woman to participate. Those efforts were restarted amid an outcry over a settlement reached by Hockey Canada and others with the woman in 2022.
Police announced criminal charges in early 2024, saying they were able to proceed after collecting new evidence they did not detail.
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Cal Foote, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Michael McLeod, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Carter Hart, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Alex Formenton, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, passes protestors as he arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
Dillon Dube, one of five hockey players charged with sexual assault, arrives at the courthouse in London, Ontario, Thursday, May 8, 2025. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.
The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.
“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”
The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.
The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.
“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”
New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.
"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.
The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.
The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.
Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.
The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.
The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.
Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.
Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”
“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.
State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”
The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.
It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)
