Open this photo in gallery: The Ontario Superior Court of Justice is seen in Newmarket, Ont., in August, 2019.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press The Ontario Superior Court of Justice has lifted the suspensions of two wrestling coaches and the mother of an amateur wrestler after it found that they had been treated unfairly in an arbitration process for settling sports disputes. The ruling is the latest in a legal fight between Frank Fowlie, the former complaints and appeals officer for Wrestling Canada, and coaches David Spinney, Ahmed Shamiya and Mara Schiavulli, the mother of an athlete that Mr. Spinney coached. In 2020, Mr. Fowlie began investigating a complaint of an alleged undeclared relationship between Mr. Spinney and Ms. Schiavulli’s daughter, which was potentially contrary to the wrestling federation’s code of conduct. An investigator hired to look into the complaint reported back that the relationship could not be confirmed, and no hearing before a panel was held. In the process of his investigation, however, Mr. Fowlie received e-mails from Mr. Spinney, Mr. Shamiya and Ms. Schiavelli that he felt attacked him personally, according to a copy of the court decision released this week. Mr. Fowlie filed a harassment complaint with Wrestling Canada, and arbitrator Tim Cullen ordered each of them to give a written apology to Mr. Fowlie, and Mr. Spinney and Mr. Shamiya were ordered to take an ethics course for coaches. Mr. Fowlie appealed that decision to the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada (SDRCC), the highest arbitration body for amateur sport, arguing for tougher sanctions against the three. A federal arbitrator, Dick Pound, the former president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and vice-president of the International Olympic Committee, found that Mr. Fowlie had been harassed and suspended all three from wrestling for four years. “The affected parties went out of their way to try to ruin his entire career,” Mr. Pound wrote, in his November, 2024, decision, which was also critical of Wrestling Canada, saying the organization had failed to protect its own official in charge of safe sport. Wrestling Canada has disputed Mr. Pound’s findings, saying the arbitrator overstepped his jurisdiction in his criticism of the sport’s governing body. Mr. Spinney, Mr. Shamiya and Ms. Schiavelli, along with Wrestling Canada, appealed to the Ontario Superior Court, and in a decision released April 29, it found that the two coaches and the mother weren’t treated fairly as part of that arbitration process. Justice Charles Hackland said they should have been given the chance to present their arguments orally, as Mr. Fowlie had, instead of in writing only. Although the three declined to provide any testimony in writing, the two coaches did offer written submissions. Justice Hackland said those submissions were ignored by Mr. Pound, violating their right to be heard. “The arbitrator was, in effect, left with one narrative of events,” Justice Hackland wrote, in his decision. Justice Hackland, however, did not weigh in on whether Mr. Fowlie was harassed during his investigation. Instead, the judge declined to sign a draft order from Wrestling Canada that would have struck down a section of Mr. Pound’s decision that was critical of the federation’s position during the harassment case. That request was “unjustified and an abuse of process,” he wrote. Mr. Pound’s criticism of wrestling’s national governing body was a “thoughtful critique” of Wrestling Canada’s response to the allegations against Mr. Spinney, Mr. Shamiya and Ms. Schiavelli, the justice said. André Marin, a lawyer for Mr. Fowlie, said his client was reviewing the decision and hasn’t decided if he will appeal. Darren Matte, a spokesperson for Wrestling Canada, and the organization’s lawyer, Jordan Goldblatt, said the federation was reviewing its legal options and a decision has not yet been made on further action. Mr. Pound did not respond to a request for comment. Marie-Claude Asselin, executive director of the SDRCC, said the tribunal would respect the court’s decision, and would hold another arbitration hearing if either side requests it.