Deakin, a frequent guest star on the TV show, was wounded in a drive-by shooting in the east Vancouver. She and a male companion were at a gas station at the time of the shooting, and police later said the man appeared to be the intended target.
The lawsuit alleged Zilba's interview with the CBC falsely suggested Deakin was associated with criminals and was involved in criminal behavior herself. The lawsuit also claims Zilba suggested Claman knew or ought to have known about her daughter's alleged nefarious associations.
According to CVT News, Zilba has filed a statement of defence denying she defamed either woman.
Zilba's response rejects Claman and Deakin's interpretation of her comments to the CBC.
"The words complained of ... are not capable of being defamatory of the plaintiffs and are not in fact defamatory of the plaintiffs, either in their literal meaning, inferential meaning or innuendo meanings as alleged," says the statement of defence.
The statement of defence says that even if Zilba's comments were defamatory, they were "true in substance or fact" or should be considered fair comment.
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