Municipal defendants shift blame to officer facing criminal charge
The legal fight surrounding the abrupt departure of former Medicine Hat police chief Mike Worden has taken a turn that keeps the spotlight on the police service and on one officer now facing criminal charges.
Worden, who came to Medicine Hat after a 25-year career with the Calgary Police Service, filed a workplace suit in 2024 seeking $1.85 million in damages for alleged harassment and defamation. His statement of claim says that over a roughly six-month span in 2022 he was subjected to a targeted campaign of harassment and blackmail that culminated in his resignation, 16 months into a five-year contract.
The defendants named in the action include the City of Medicine Hat, the current police chief, a woman who had a brief consensual relationship with Worden (identified in court documents but not by name in media reporting), and three Medicine Hat Police Service officers: Brent Secondiak, Carissa Witkowski and Const. Noel Darr.
Recent filings by four of the defendants — the City, the police chief and officers Secondiak and Witkowski — advance a third-party claim that asks the court to place responsibility on Const. Darr should the plaintiff succeed. The shift of blame follows the emergence of a criminal charge against Darr: attempted obstruction of justice.
- Worden alleges false accusations of sexual misconduct were circulated to colleagues, the police commission and journalists, prompting his resignation.
- Defendants now seek to have Const. Noel Darr held liable if the court finds in favour of Worden.
- Darr faces a criminal charge of attempted obstruction of justice; the legal proceedings on that charge are separate from the civil action.
What’s at stake for the city and its police service
This case touches on reputational and financial risk for the municipality and on trust in the policing institution in Medicine Hat. Workplace litigation naming both the municipal employer and the police chief is common in cases involving senior officers; it also places potential exposure on the public purse if courts award damages.
The defendants’ third-party claim effectively says: if wrongdoing occurred that harmed Worden, it should be traced to Darr rather than to the municipal employer, the police chief or the other officers. That argument, if accepted by the court, would limit or eliminate the city’s and other defendants’ liability.
| Party | Role in lawsuit |
|---|---|
| Mike Worden | Plaintiff; former Medicine Hat police chief; seeking $1.85M |
| City of Medicine Hat | Defendant; filed third-party claim against Const. Darr |
| MHPS police chief | Defendant; joined third-party claim |
| Brent Secondiak, Carissa Witkowski | Defendants; joined third-party claim |
| Const. Noel Darr | Defendant; now faces criminal charge of attempted obstruction of justice |
The precise legal theories in the third-party filings and the evidence to be tested at trial will determine whether the city and the other defendants are ultimately on the hook for any damages. For Medicine Hat taxpayers, those outcomes matter: civil awards against the municipality could have budgetary implications, while a finding of liability tied solely to an individual officer would concentrate responsibility on that person.
Beyond the finances, the dispute has broader implications for public confidence in the police service. The central allegation — that a campaign of rumours and accusations led to a chief’s forced resignation — raises questions about internal culture, complaint-handling, and how misconduct allegations are investigated and communicated to oversight bodies and the public.
The criminal charge against Const. Darr is separate from the civil action. If Darr is prosecuted, the criminal court will consider whether his conduct amounted to attempted obstruction of justice under the Criminal Code. Any finding in criminal court could bear on the civil proceedings, but the standards of proof in the two systems differ.
The case remains before the courts. Court schedules and procedural steps will determine when the civil matter proceeds to trial and whether criminal proceedings against Darr move forward to a hearing. Until then, the filings frame a dispute that is as much about legal responsibility as it is about who will carry the political and financial fallout in Medicine Hat.
