Law Times

Page 16 June 1, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com LERNERS PARTNER TO LEAD OTLA The Ontario Trial Lawyers Associa- tion has a new president with Maia Bent succeeding Steve Rastin in the role. A partner at Lerners LLP, Bent is the second lawyer from the firm's office in London, Ont., to serve in the role in recent years after Andrew Murray's election to the position in 2012. "Lerners is proud to employ a team of lawyers who work as passionate ad- vocates for their clients, but our team is also deeply involved in helping address vital legal issues outside of our daily practice," said Ian Dantzer, managing partner of Lerners in London. "As president of OTLA, I know that Maia's profound expertise, compassion, and commitment to the public good will have a tre- mendously positive impact for her members and those who suffer personal injury or loss in every part of Ontario." WOMAN JAILED FOR RUNNING OVER NON-VOTING HUSBAND GILBERT, Ariz. — This woman sounds like someone who might like to see a law forcing people to exercise their right to vote. In this case, an Arizona woman took the is- sue into her own hands, according to Reuters. After pleading guilty, she has received a sen- tence of 3-1/2 years in prison for running over her husband with the family car because he had failed to vote in the 2012 presidential elec- tion, court officials said. According to Reuters, Holly Nicole Solo- mon, 31, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of aggravated assault under a plea agreement with prosecutors over the incident at a parking lot in Gilbert, a southeastern suburb of Phoe- nix. Police said Solomon was upset with her hus- band, Daniel Solomon, in the days following the Nov. 6 re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama and believed the family would face hardship after he won another term in office. The 36-year-old man suffered a fractured pelvis after his wife ran him over following a wild chase on Nov. 10, 2012, that left him pinned beneath the Jeep. Judge Joseph Kreamer in Maricopa Coun- ty Superior Court in Phoenix also sentenced Solomon to four years of supervised probation, officials said. "This is just such a tragic case," Solomon's attorney, Todd Nolan, told Reuters, adding that the couple had since divorced. "Both families involved have been devas- tated." Police said witnesses told them the couple was arguing in the parking lot before the fight began to escalate. Solomon then chased her husband around the lot with the car, yelling at him as he tried to hide behind a light pole, police said. He was ultimately struck as he attempted to f lee. Solomon had claimed she was only trying to frighten her husband but that her foot had slipped while on the accelerator, causing her to hit him. Obama won the 2012 election with 332 elec- toral college votes compared with 206 for Re- publican challenger Mitt Romney. Of course, it seems the husband's vote wouldn't have made any difference if he had in fact supported Rom- ney since the Republican won Arizona's 11 electoral votes. RIVALRY RESURFACES AT WOMAN'S FUNERAL TULSA, Okla. — You'd think the rivalry would subside at least a bit after your com- petitor dies. But in this case, an Oklahoma woman has landed in hot water for allegedly slashing the face and cutting body parts off the corpse of a romantic rival. Officials charged Shaynna Sims with the "unlawful removal of body part from de- ceased" for cutting off the toe and breasts from the body of the other woman as it was awaiting cremation at a funeral home, the Tulsa district attorney's office said. Sims, also known as Shaynna Smith, was already facing charges for offences including interrupting a funeral, stealing shoes meant for the woman, and unauthorized dissection for slashing the face of her former boyfriend's lover as it laid in a casket. The deceased woman died of natural causes related to a long illness, local broadcaster News on 6 reported. Prosecutors said that before the cremation took place, Sims "crudely cut and removed a toe for the dead body and crudely cut out and removed the breasts from the dead body," ac- cording to papers filed in a state district court. According to Reuters, prosecutors said it was too early to say what sort of sentence they would seek in the case. LT It's time to rank… 2015-16 CANADIAN LAWYER'S TOP 10 ONTARIO REGIONAL FIRMS SURVEY Complete the survey online at canadianlawyermag.com/surveys and rank your top 10 picks. SURVEY IS OPEN UNTIL JUNE 29TH Untitled-2 1 2015-05-27 12:21 PM u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story BAIRD JOINS BENNETT JONES Former federal cabinet minister John Baird has joined Bennett Jones LLP as a senior adviser. "Mr. Baird's expertise in gov- ernment, domestic, and interna- tional business and natural re- sources will provide invaluable advisory insight and counsel to our clients," said Hugh MacK- innon, chairman and chief ex- ecutive officer of Bennett Jones. Baird, who most recently served as minister of foreign af- fairs before leaving politics this year, called Bennett Jones a "nat- ural fit" for him. "I look forward to working with Bennett Jones and their cli- ents to provide strategic counsel in relation to their plans in Can- ada and abroad," he said. "This work will not include making representations to the government of Canada. In par- ticular, I am excited to continue my interest in Canada-China re- lations, the Bennett Jones office in Beijing being a further draw for me to the firm." BINNIE NAMED SPECIAL ARBITRATOR Ahead of an upcoming report from the auditor general on the Senate, former Supreme Court justice Ian Binnie is taking on the role of special arbitrator over expense disputes. Binnie will adjudicate cases where senators take issue with orders to reimburse expenses following the auditor general's report on expense claims. "I am satisfied that this pro- cedure is independent, fair, and impartial," said Binnie following his appointment to the role by the steering committee of the stand- ing committee on internal econ- omy, budgets, and administration. "Every citizen has the right to due process," he added. "The Senate arbitration pro- cess ensures this." NEW LAW FOUNDATION CEO ANNOUNCED The Law Foundation of On- tario has chosen Tanya Lee to serve as its next chief executive officer. Lee takes over the role on July 1. Her roles at the organization have included serving as direc- tor of policy and programs and director of the access to justice fund. She has also worked at the Ministry of the Attorney General as counsel in the con- stitutional law branch. Lee succeeds Elizabeth Goldberg in the role. POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. According to the poll, 67 per cent of respondents feel the fed- eral government should make it easier for Crown prosecutors to run for political office. The poll follows concerns by an Ottawa prosecutor who's seeking judicial review of a Pub- lic Service Commission deci- sion not to grant her leave to run as a candidate in the upcoming federal election. The majority of poll respon- dents felt the government has had inconsistent positions on the issue given previous situa- tions in which prosecutors were able to run for office. LT Maia Bent "So what's the statutory insurance benefit limit for non-catastrophic accident injuries on the planet Bloopus?"

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