“Driver’s License Plate Stirs Controversy After 25 Years of Displaying Name”

A controversy surrounding a personalized license plate bearing the name “GRABHER” has taken an unexpected legal turn. It all started when a McGill University professor, Carrie Rentschler, claimed that the license plate endorsed sexual violence against women.

Since 2016, Lorne Grabher, the owner of the license plate, has been embroiled in a quest to have it reinstated after The Registrar of Motor Vehicles revoked it. A recent decision by the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia awarded Grabher $750 to cover the court costs he incurred, an amount mirroring what he had paid to the Crown during a prior legal battle over an affidavit.

In a statement accompanying the decision, Justice Pierre Muise expressed that the same-costs award “will do justice between the parties.”

Jay Cameron, Grabher’s legal representative, vigorously contested the Crown’s report, which drew a link between the license plate and derogatory comments about women made by former President Donald Trump. Professor Rentschler, an expert in communications and gender studies, cited Trump’s controversial statements as a reference. During his 2005 presidential campaign, Trump infamously boasted about his ability to grab women by their genitals.

Cameron argued that the report did not categorize “GRABHER” as a name but rather as a reference to Trump’s statement. He emphasized, “There is zero evidence in this case that refers to Donald Trump, with the exception of this report.”

Cameron further raised a critical question, stating, “I think that the court should ask itself whether or not the freedom of expression of Canadians is influenced in any way by comments by a foreign dignitary.”

In defense of the Crown’s position, lawyer Alison Campbell contended that “Dr. Rentschler’s report is not a salacious magazine. It is a review of academic literature on the ways in which gender violence is represented and reinforced in society.”

Grabher asserted that the license plate was a gift for his late father back in 1990 and represented a symbol of their shared Austrian-German heritage.

The legal battle over the “GRABHER” license plate is set to continue in early September, as Grabher continues to fight for his right to display his family name on his vehicle.

Source ; CBC News