City of Pitt Meadows denies allegations made by family of woman found dead in blueberry field

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The city of Pitt Meadows has dismissed all claims against them in a civil lawsuit filed by the family of a woman whose body was discovered in a blueberry field in 2021.

Specifically, the city refutes the family’s claims that Ping (Amy) Guo died after being attacked by a domestic dog.

The response was filed Monday, January 9, in the Supreme Court of British Columbia to allegations made by Jun Peng, Guo’s husband, and daughter Kelsey Peng, after they filed the lawsuit in February last year.

The family alleges that Guo, whose body was discovered in a blueberry field at Doremi Blueberry Farm Ltd., was invited to the farm to pick blueberries at 10 a.m. on August 15, 2021. She was found dead later on same day, and the lawsuit alleges that she was killed by an animal, “probably a dog”.

They claim that Guo’s death was due to the negligence of each of the defendants named in the case: Doremi Blueberry Farm Ltd. ; the registered owners of blueberry factory Kae-Chang Doong and Changling Zhong; the town of Pitt Meadows; and Jane and/or John Doe, owners of one or more “aggressive, vicious and dangerous” dogs.

In its response, the City of Pitt Meadows denied that the incident described in the original notice of civil lawsuit happened as the family claims, or at all. The city also denied having a “duty of care” to the plaintiffs in the case.

The city maintained that it followed any applicable policy in a “prudent manner” and denied any accusations of negligence, in particular failing to enforce Dog Control By-law No. 2732, 2016, and the allegation that they knew or should have known an aggressive or vicious dog or dogs near the farm.

In fact, the city even denied the existence of Bylaw 2732, 2016 regarding dog control.

The response went on to say that the city also denied “whether plaintiffs suffered any alleged loss, damage or expense or at all.”

READ MORE: Family says vicious dogs killed woman found dead in Pitt Meadows blueberry field

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The city further responded that if plaintiffs suffered any loss, damage, or expense that was not “caused or contributed to by any act or omission constituting negligence or breach of duty,” on the part of the town of Pitt Meadows, but rather caused by “the acts, omissions, negligence or neglect of duty or failure to mitigate on the part of Ms. Guo, the plaintiffs, the other defendants named in this action”, and d other parts not named.

The city claimed that Guo did not keep adequate watch, did not pay enough attention to his surroundings, did not proceed in a careful and cautious manner, did not take proper precautions, and did not had not taken reasonable steps to prevent accidents and injuries.

Additionally, the city said that at no time had it received a report of a dangerous or aggressive dog, “which would engage any applicable dog control regulations,” and at no time a city by-law enforcement officer, “to make a decision based on direct observation, dog behavior, or any report that engages the dog-aggressive provisions of any applicable dog control by-law.”

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Pitt Meadows Court

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