Judge in Ontario Found Guilty of Misconduct

An Ontario judge accused of sexual assault and assault has been found guilty of judicial misconduct, according to an independent organization that reviews complaints against judges.

In a summary decision online, a panel from the Ontario Judicial Council stated it accepted most of the allegations made in a complaint against Justice Paul Currie from the Ontario Court of Justice.

Currie, who is currently suspended with pay, had served as the regional senior justice for the central west region of the Ontario Court of Justice until his term ended last August.

The complaint was filed by then-chief justice Lise Maisonneuve from the Ontario Court of Justice after Currie faced criminal charges for one count each of sexual assault and assault in April 2023.

Those charges were dropped by the Crown in June 2023 due to “no reasonable prospect of conviction.”

Panel concurred with five out of six allegations

After receiving the complaint, the council’s panel held a hearing and examined six specific allegations. These incidents reportedly took place in January and April 2023.

“Based on the evidence presented at the hearing, the hearing panel was unanimous in concluding that five out of six allegations outlined in the Notice of Hearing were established on a balance of probabilities, fulfilling the criteria for judicial misconduct regarding each allegation,” stated their decision.

The first allegation claimed that Currie engaged in nonconsensual sexual intercourse with an alleged victim referred to as A. A., causing bodily injury around January 11, 2023. The second allegation involved Currie pushing her around April 5, 2023, leading to bodily injury before he left prior to police arriving.

“Regarding both allegations, A. A.’s account about what happened during January and April 2023 was logical and consistent on key points, aligning with other available evidence,” reads their decision.

“Where there were inconsistencies in A. A.’s account, they were found to be minor or otherwise explained. In contrast, Justice Currie’s testimony about events during January and April 2023 contained inconsistencies and was contradicted by evidence from that time,” it continues.

“The panel determined that Justice Currie’s actions related to these first two allegations constituted judicial misconduct.”

A Ontario Judicial Council panel will resume its hearing on Justice Paul Currie on Feb. 4 to discuss the question of an appropriate penalty. (CBC)

The panel also concluded that Currie acted improperly when he contacted A. A. in June or July 2023 trying to dissuade her from cooperating with their investigation into his conduct. They further found he committed judicial misconduct by delaying five days before surrendering himself to police despite knowing there was an arrest warrant out for him.

The sixth allegation led them to conclude based on A. A.’s testimony that Currie regularly consumed alcohol while driving as well constituted judicial misconduct.

Punishment set for February discussion

The panel heard testimony from A. A., three police officers involved in charging Currie, a former Crown attorney who managed his bail hearing, along with testimonies from Currie himself.

This hearing will continue on Feb. 4 when they plan to discuss what an appropriate penalty should be imposed.

Currie became regional senior justice for central west region back in 2019.

Before this role, he had been serving as local administrative judge in Brampton since 2015 according to news released upon his appointment. He became a judge within Brampton’s Ontario Court of Justice back in 2004 after being called to bar back in 1984.

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