Ruben Manz Trial: Jury hears defense closing arguments in sexual assault case

The defense presented their closing arguments before a jury Wednesday afternoon in the case of a Regina chiropractor accused of sexual assault.

Ruben Manz is facing a total of seven counts of sexual assault. He was first arrested in April 2021 after two former clients came forward claiming they were subjected to “inappropriate and unwanted actions” during their chiropractic treatments.

The other clients came forward after his arrest.

The alleged incidents took place over a ten-year period.

During the nearly four-week trial, all seven complainants and the defendants all took the stand to give their testimony. Both the Crown and the defense each also called their own expert witnesses.

Credibility is challenged

Defense attorney Kathy Hodgson-Smith questioned the credibility of the alleged victims’ testimonies as part of her closing remarks, often calling everyone’s memories “poor.”

“What they’re saying doesn’t make sense,” the lawyer said. “And it is contradicted.”

Hodgson-Smith often highlighted Manz’s time in the stands, calling it ‘consistent’.

“(Manz) was a chiropractor doing his job,” she said. “His treatment was within the standard of care. It was appropriate treatment. the PNF program was medically indicated.”

“Why would (he) throw away his dream of becoming a chiropractor that he’s had since he was four? Why would he throw his and his wife’s wellness clinic, his life’s work, out the window to touch a breast,” Hodgson-Smith continued.

The defense compared this case to a bowl containing thousands of beads. The beads represent every patient Manz has ever treated in his more than two decades as a chiropractor.

Through her argument, she would propose to remove each of the complainants’ cases from the imaginary scale.

“There are seven beads on the table that appear independent,” Hodgson-Smith said.

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But as her remarks continued, she motioned to string the beads together. Manz’s testimony remained consistent, while the complainants did not.

“We comfortably take a needle and put that needle through (the beads) that these people are stringing (together),” Hodgson-Smith described.

The roadmap for the defense’s judgment

The defense then gave the jury an outline of how to reach a not guilty verdict, asking them to consider three questions for each charge Manz faces.

The first: did he touch her breast?

And if the answer to the question is “Yes”, to go to a second question. Did he deliberately touch her breast?

And if the answer to that question was also ‘Yes’, they can move on to the third question. Did he touch her breast in circumstances of a sexual nature?

If the answer to all three questions is “Yes,” the jury can find Manz guilty.

But if the answer were ever “No,” then the jury would have to find Manz not guilty.

Procedure delayed

The proceedings were further postponed on Wednesday after the defense took more than two hours to deliver their closing arguments.

Because the court could not hold the jury past 4:30 p.m., Judge Janey McMutry was forced to cut off Hodgson-Smith’s remarks before she had completed her entire argument.

The defense will be allowed to complete their closing submissions on Thursday afternoon before the Crown then presents their final arguments.

That was when Judge McMutry would give her final instructions to the jury and lock them up to render their verdict.

Due to the delay, the jury will be seized from Friday morning.

Thirteen jurors heard the case during the nearly four-week proceeding. Before being sequestered, one member will be randomly selected for removal and twelve members will make that decision.

They must reach a unanimous verdict on each charge before being released.