Last-place Langley City mayoral candidate Serena Oh’s attempt to overturn the results of last month’s elections have been denied by the B.C. Supreme Court.
A Nov. 1 court order nullified Oh’s petition, because she was declared a vexatious litigant in 2012.
A vexatious litigant is someone who is banned from launching legal actions because of a persistent pattern of launching frivolous or unfounded lawsuits and appeals. They can only take legal action with prior permission of the courts.
“Any document or process filed by Serena Oh in contravention of this order or any process inadvertently filed or received by the registry is a nullity,” said the order.
The City of Langley does not have to respond to Oh’s petition, or to any legal process she files that violates the order, it said.
Oh’s petition, filed against outgoing Mayor Ted Schaffer, the City’s election officer, and the City of Langley, asked that the election be declared invalid “if the total votes of Val van den Broek is less than 2,447. Treat as Election Scam [sic] or fraud; accordingly disqualified for the City of Langley Mayor.”
According to the official election results, Oh received 146 votes in total, compared to 2,240 for Fassbender and 2,447 for mayor-elect van den Broek. Oh received three per cent of all the votes cast.
The petition claimed that votes had been counted incorrectly, though no evidence was presented.
Oh attempted to overturn a previous Langley City council byelection in 2016 after she came last of nine candidates. That lawsuit was dismissed, but the court challenge and Oh’s appeals cost Langley City approximately $27,000.
• READ MORE: Last-place candidate claims “fraud” in Langley City election
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