On June 26, 2017, the British Columbia Court of Appeal released oral reasons for judgment in favour of Farris’ clients, The Vancouver Sun Newspaper and The Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (“APTN”) setting aside a publication ban over documents relating to the 1983 murder trial of Phillip Tallio.

Tallio, who pleaded guilty to second degree murder in 1983, has maintained his innocence throughout his incarceration, and now seeks an application to extend the time for an appeal. The Crown applied for a publication ban over a number of documents relating to the investigation.

Farris lawyers, Scott Dawson and Jason Yamashita of Farris successfully argued that the Charter right of freedom of expression and the open courts principle outweighed the need for a publication ban in this case.