Class-action lawsuit launched against dentist

GLACE BAY — Macgillivray Injury and Insurance were to conduct 135 interviews with people who say they were victims of dentist Errol Guam.

Ryan Binder is one of them and the Glace Bay father was the first to contact the law firm after filing complaints with police and the dental board in relation to his sixyear-old daughter's appointment with Gaum on Nov. 10.

"I wanted (Gaum) to be accountable for all the people he has hurt over the years," Binder said.

"I feel good about (the class-action lawsuit being filed) because I don't think a big law firm like Macgillivray would take it on if they didn't think they could win."

A news release from the firm Friday evening, the day Macgillivray decided to take on the case, indicated they had 60 possible claimants on the suit. By Saturday afternoon the number had more than doubled.

Managing partner Jamie Macgillivray said there was "nothing normal" about this case but couldn't disclose much more due to it being in the early stages of the process.

"We have 135 phone intakes scheduled over the weekend with two lawyers ... and more intake calls have been coming in ... there are a lot of people coming to us at this point," Macgillivray said.

"The first step we have is to determine how to legally file this action," he said. "We plan to file the claim this week."

Binder claimed during his daughter's appointment with Gaum he hurt and traumatized her by restraining her physically and verbally abusing her.

After filing a complaint with the Provincial Dental Board of Nova Scotia and Halifax Regional Police, Binder posted about the incident on Facebook in hopes of alerting others about the dentist's alleged practises.

The next day, the post had gone viral and two Facebook groups were made for alleged victims of Gaum. One group is private and has more than 560 members. The other is public and has over 2,100 members.

Halifax Regional Police confirmed they are investigating multiple allegations.