John Allen ordered to pay additional costs in defamation lawsuit

Former Harrison Hot Springs mayor and councillor John Allen has been ordered to pay uplift and double costs following a defamation lawsuit involving local realtor Freddy Marks. Justice Mark Underhill dismissed Allen’s application for costs related to legal delays and approved Marks’ applications for additional costs due to Allen’s conduct and his refusal to accept multiple settlement offers.

This ruling follows a May 2026 decision where Allen was ordered to pay $110,000 in general damages and $50,000 in aggravated damages. The lawsuit, originally filed in May 2020, centered on defamatory Facebook posts made by Allen that included references to Nazis, Hitler, and brownshirts. The dispute also involved a physical altercation in November 2019, which Justice Underhill noted was characterized by Allen through “greatly exaggerated” accounts of the events.