Judge Axes Ex-Client's Sex Suit Against His Lawyer, Upholds $25K Settlement
A former client’s much-publicized suit against a Canadian lawyer he accused of trying to pressure him into having sex with the lawyer’s wife, who is now a prominent judge, has been dismissed. However, the onetime client, Alex Chapman, vows to appeal.
The suit against attorney Jack King, alleging that he committed this misconduct while representing Chapman in a divorce case, was filed too late, ruled Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench Justice John Menzies. And it is also precluded by a $25,000 settlement agreement in 2003, he found, which included a confidentiality pact, according to CBC News and the Winnipeg Sun
Other litigation by Chapman against King’s wife, Justice Lori Douglas, and their former law firm, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, was dismissed earlier.
King faces a legal ethics complaint and Douglas is being investigated for a possible legal ethics complaint, reports the National Post. It is not clear whether Douglas, who stepped aside temporarily from her bench duties after the filing of the lawsuit, will now return.
A counterclaim by King against Chapman for breach of the settlement agreement also has not yet been resolved.
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “‘Sex Object’ Ex-Client Sues His Ex-Lawyer, a Judge & Their Ex-Firm, as Jurist Steps Aside, for Now”
ABAJournal.com: “Lawyer Sues ‘Sex Object’ Ex-Client, Wins Ruling Requiring Him to Return Nude Photos of Judge”
