SAINT JOHN – After  55 days of legal wrangling, the defamation trial against former Saint John city councillor John  Ferguson has gone to the jury.

Justice William Grant’s has gave his charge to the jury this morning, telling them they are not deciding ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty,’ they are deciding ‘liable’ or ‘not liable.’

The city pension board sued Ferguson for alleged defamatory comments he made starting in 2005 about the board’s handling of the pension fund.