Lawyer’s licence suspended amid allegations he seduced teen clients

The lawyer sits next to his lawyer in front of a disciplinary panel of lawyers. The allegations against Gavin McNeill Grant: He impregnated a 17-year-old client, a homeless Crown ward, after acting as duty counsel during her appearance at an Owen Sound courthouse and obtaining the young woman’s release.

He had threesome sex with that girl and another teenager at the latter’s apartment, a teenager who — according to her mother — has the intellectual capacity of a 12- to 14-year-old.

During a party with the two teenagers, he took delivery of cocaine from one of his criminal clients, consuming almost a gram of blow within minutes, as described by another person present.

He propositioned and tried to seduce an 18-year-old client.

He took a client/girlfriend on holidays and violently assaulted her. The woman suffered a dislocated jaw, sprained ankle and multiple bruises.

That last alleged incident was contained in an affidavit filed with a Law Society of Ontario disciplinary panel on Tuesday. The complainant came forward after reading a media report about Grant’s earlier hearing.

At the Oct. 2 procedure, the tribunal allowed Grant to keep his licence to practice, pending a full hearing for an interim suspension. On Tuesday, through his lawyer, Grant granted consent on the interim suspension. That sends the matter to a full disciplinary hearing, probably no earlier than next summer.

If the full hearing tribunal finds against Grant, 49, his licence could be permanently revoked.

Grant has at least once before been fired from his law firm, according to Law Society investigators, for “erratic and drug-influenced behaviour, missing court dates, purchasing liquor for a minor, mini- mizing his substance abuse addictions and having sex with teenage clients. In August, 2017, Grant opened his own office in Owen Sound, Ont.

To wind around back to the beginning, the Owen Sound police first investigated Grant in the summer of 2016, after receiving allegations that the lawyer had been involved in an “exploitative sexual relationship” with a 17-year-old Crown ward, Erica. (All of the girls and their parents’ identities are covered by a publication ban; pseudonyms are used in the affidavits.) Det.-Sgt. Peter Daniels brought the matter to the Law Society this past August.

The panel was told by discipline counsel Elaine Strosberg last week that, in June 2016, as duty counsel, Grant had secured bail for Erica. Some six weeks later, Erica approached Grant to hire him. In an interview with the Law Society investigator, Grant said he told Erica he couldn’t represent her because he’s already assisted as duty counsel on her case and recommended another lawyer. Grant didn’t know Erica’s age and didn’t realize she was a minor, he said, because “she doesn’t look young.”

Erica told the investigator that they subsequently had a “brief” sexual relationship and hung around together for a while. At a party in his office not long afterward, it was Erica, Grant insisted, who “got on my lap, kissing me, everyone was drinking, that kind of thing.”

He has denied ever doing any drugs with the teenager.

In the last four years, Grant admits he’s been hospitalized for addiction “probably three or four times.”

The second girl, Poppy, told investigators she attended a party at Grant’s office with Erica in July, 2016. They then went to Poppy’s apartment, with Grant allegedly serving the girls scotch and gin. Erica allegedly wanted to use Poppy’s bed to have sex with Grant because he’d offered her $300. Poppy said no but afterwards heard Grant and Erica having sex on the couch. They left together early the next morning.

At the time, Erica was on bail which required her to remain in residence between 9 p.m. and 6 p.m.

A baby boy was born to Erica in March, 2017. A DNA test confirmed Grant as the father, according to the affidavit.

A second incident involving Poppy allegedly occurred on July 20, 2016. Grant, Poppy told an investigator, invited everyone back to her apartment. Later, through an open bedroom door, Poppy saw Erica performing oral sex on Grant. Erica invited Poppy to join in and she did. This incident was reported the next day to police by Poppy’s mother.

Last week, in urging the disciplinary panel to suspend Grant’s licence until a full hearing, counsel Strosberg argued: “Erica was a Crown ward, homeless and in the criminal justice system and there’s evidence he was impaired in the courthouse … An unchecked drug addict simply cannot be ordered to not partake in drugs.”

When interviewed by phone on Oct. 4, the Bruce Grey Child and Family Services counsel, Christopher Hutton, noted that many of the agency’s clients are young females with addictions, developmental and mental health problems. He could not recall Grant ever representing a male from the agency.

Most disturbing, however, was the account given by Bella on Oct. 4, the woman who contacted the Law Society after learning of last week’s hearing.

Bella, then 18, had been seven days into a family law trial in 2014, representing herself, when she contacted Grant, whose name had been provided by a friend. She was seeking advice on how to conduct closing arguments. They met in his office after-hours, had drinks, and Grant tried to kiss her.

After she left, Grant texted her, saying he’d like to see her again. Thus began and on-andoff relationship that ended after the alleged assault in Florence on May 31. Bella is the young woman Grant had taken on holidays.

She has provided Borg with a report from Italian police about the alleged assault and photos taken upon her return to Canada, documenting the injuries.

Bella said Grant had become aggressive after dinner at a restaurant because he wanted to have sex and she didn’t. According to the Italian police report, Grant tried to force her into sex. She fled to the lobby, where she spent the night.

Supporting documents for Borg’s affidavit include the transcript of his interview with Bella. She describes how their relationship had become more serious, steady, following a troubling discovery she’d made last February.

“We were dating until I found out he was actually living with someone, and that was Erica.”