Suspended Ottawa lawyer James Bowie is dealing with extra misconduct allegations levelled by the Regulation Society of Ontario, this time about sexually harassing 4 individuals, two of whom have been purchasers, from 2018 to 2021, amongst different allegations.
Particularly, the society accuses Bowie of failing to conduct himself with integrity by:
Sending a shopper “unwelcome sexual advances, making requests for sexual favours in trade for authorized providers, and/or participating in different verbal, written or bodily conduct of a sexual nature” in 2022. Sexually harassing one other shopper in 2018 by “making unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and/or different verbal or bodily conduct of a sexual nature.” Sexually harassing somebody in 2021. Sexually harassing one other individual in 2021.
Bowie can be accused of breaching the confidentiality of the primary shopper by publicly sharing confidential and/or privileged details about them with out permission in 2022.
He additionally failed to inform the society he was charged criminally in April 2023, didn’t co-operate with or reply to 2 society investigations, and didn’t ship all papers and property to a 3rd shopper after they fired Bowie, the society alleges.
A tribunal listening to date has not but been set.
Legal trial scheduled to renew
The allegations of sexual harassment and breach of confidentiality involving the primary shopper mirror these made by Leanne Aubin towards Bowie in Ottawa’s civil and felony courts in 2023.
The felony trial started in September however needed to be adjourned after which postponed after sitting for in the future resulting from points his defence lawyer, Eric Granger, was having. Granger informed CBC these points had nothing to do with Bowie’s case.
Bowie’s trial is about to renew subsequent week.
He has pleaded not responsible to extorting Aubin and threatening to kill her on two separate events, in addition to harassing one other woman and making an attempt to get her to acquire a firearm for him.
Bowie has beforehand informed CBC he expects to be acquitted of the felony charges towards him. (Matthew Kupfer/CBC)
The lawsuit Aubin filed towards Bowie was determined with out Bowie’s participation final yr. A Superior Court docket justice ordered Bowie to pay Aubin $235,000 after he proposed that Aubin pay for his authorized providers with oral {sex}, then disclosed private particulars about her on-line after her allegations towards Bowie garnered media protection.
The decide referred to as Bowie’s actions “surprising,” an “offense to the court docket’s sense of decency,” and a “staggering” breach of belief.
Whereas the decide within the civil continuing dominated in Aubin’s favour, the felony allegations towards him haven’t been confirmed, and he stays harmless of them.
Additionally final yr, one other Superior Court docket decide ordered the legislation society to be made trustee of Bowie’s enterprise, its data and any funds.
Court docket paperwork filed in help of the transfer contained beforehand unheard allegations that Bowie propositioned a completely different shopper sexually, tried to pressure himself on her, uncovered himself and carried out a sexual act in entrance of her.
In addition they confirmed Bowie was the topic of 12 legislation society investigations together with six allegations of sexual harassment.
Has claimed psychological well being struggles
In correspondence with the legislation society and in paperwork filed in court docket, Bowie has mentioned he is been coping with psychological well being struggles.
He wrote he is been left in “crippling emotional misery” by all of the allegations towards him, the “important media protection” that has adopted and the “social, skilled and monetary fallout.”
He additionally wrote that his misery and psychological well being struggles have made adhering to deadlines “extraordinarily tough.”
The Regulation Society of Ontario, previously the Regulation Society of Higher Canada, was made trustee of Bowie’s apply final yr. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
Bowie has been suspended from practising legislation since December 2022 for failing to co-operate with legislation society investigations into alleged shabby enterprise practices.
He was suspended once more in July 2023 for not co-operating with the legislation society investigation into allegations that he supplied Aubin authorized providers in trade for sexual acts.
Bowie and his felony defence lawyer didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Friday afternoon.
