Law Times

Page 16 April 11, 2016 • lAw Times www.lawtimesnews.com SAMWORTH RECEIVES AWARD e Medico-Legal Society of Toronto announced the win- ner of its annual Medico-Legal Society Award is Philippa G. Samworth. She is a partner at Dutton Brock LLP. "is award is the highest ex - pression of esteem which the Soci- ety can convey and is intended to honour those members of the med- ical, legal, or scientific community who have made a significant con- tribution to their profession as well as either to the society or the community at large, and whose contributions are consistent with the values of the society," said a society news release. e release indicates Samworth is in insurance defence with a specialty in accident benefits. She also offers mediation and arbitration services. "Ms. Samworth has a number of achievements and was retained by the Ministry of Finance of Ontario as a consultant to provide analy - sis and technical advice to the Ministry on its preparation and draing of Bill 59 and its regulations," says the release. "In 2000, she was asked by the Government of Ontario to chair an advisory committee regarding the definition of catastrophic impairment." e release also notes that, in 2004, Samworth "was again retained by the Minister of Finance to conduct stakeholder consultations and provide advice and recommendations on proposals to replace the DAC [Designated Assessment Centre] system." Samworth was the first recipient of the Canadian Defence Law - yers Lee Samis Award of Excellence in 2002, and the recipient of the Ontario Bar Association's Award of Excellence in Insurance Law in 2006. She has also served as the former president of the Advocates Society and former president of the Medico-Legal Society of Toronto. Samworth will receive the award at the society's annual dinner May 18. Tickets to the dinner can be purchased by calling 416-523-4469. NEW ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE JUDGE APPOINTED Justice Stephen Edwin James Paull has been appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice. A news release from the Min - istry of the Attorney General said Paull has practised family and civil law as a sole practitioner in Kitchener. He also worked at Dueck Sauer Jutzi and Noll LLP, and was a member of the Office of the Children's Law - yer Legal Panel. "Justice Paull is an advice coun- sel at Carizon Family and Com- munity Services in Kitchener, where he provides legal advice to clients involved with the Family Violence Project of Waterloo Region. Justice Paull also vol - unteers his time with the Elder Abuse Response Team at Ca- rizon Family and Community Services," said the release. Paull will preside in Wood- stock, Ont. WINE AND CHEESE WITH THE BENCH e Advocates' Society is hav- ing a Wine and Cheese with the Bench on April 21. e event will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Camp - bell House, at 160 Queen Street West, in Toronto. Tickets can be purchased by contacting Rachel Stewart at rachel@advocates.ca. LAW TIMES POLL In this week's poll question, all eyes turned to the Supreme Court of Canada. Readers were asked what they considered to be the most impor - tant consideration when choos- ing the next Supreme Court justice, in addition to the person being super qualified. Readers could indicate if they preferred a justice who was bi - lingual, a woman, aboriginal, or from Newfoundland. Almost 24 per cent indicated they prefer a justice who is bi - lingual, almost 12 per cent indi- cated they prefer a justice who is a woman, 26 per cent preferred an aboriginal justice, and 38 per cent preferred a justice from New - foundland. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story Philippa G. Samworth is the recipient of the 2016 Medico-Legal Society Award. "If you think the entrance of accounting firms into the practice of law will be disruptive, keep your eyes on the Aqua-Acme Flipper Company!" © 2015 Stewart. All rights reserved. We put legal professionals front and centre and we put our efforts into keeping real estate transactions where they belong – in your office. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Ally Untitled-4 1 2016-03-02 10:19 AM AN UBER BAD EXPERIENCE PHILADELPHIA, Penn. — An Uber driver who took a nap woke up to find himself in- volved in a police chase. e Press & Sun- Bulletin reports that Corey Robinson, a 43-year-old from Philadelphia, was working as an Uber driver and hired to drive a man to a city more than 400 kilometres away. Robinson agreed but wanted to sleep during the trip so he asked the passenger if he could take the wheel of the Hyundai Sonata rental. According to the Press & Sun-Bulletin, 20-year-old passenger Juan Carlos allegedly took the wheel of the Hyundai, before police caught him going 137 kilometres an hour in Kirkwood. Police said they tried to stop the car, but Carol wouldn't stop and sped up the car. At this point, Robinson allegedly woke up and told Carlos to stop the car, but he had no luck. e car continued fleeing and lost police, but officers found a car that had crashed into a guardrail and arrested both men. Robinson was released without charges. Carlos is reportedly charged with third-degree unlawfully fleeing from a police officer, driving without a licence, and other traffic violations. e Press & Sun-Bulletin reported an Uber spokesman stated Robinson and Carlos could no longer use the ride-sharing service. CRIME DOESN'T SPRAY? SPRING HILL, Fla. — Bay News 9 reports that police arrested a man who allegedly broke into a store, then used fire extinguishers on himself in order to avoid getting caught. Anthony Dixon, 18, is accused of breaking into a dollar store in Hernando County, aer using a cinder block to break a window to get into the store. Police were called to the scene by someone who heard the noise, and then alleg- edly saw Dixon running from the scene. Police allegedly found the suspect near a white powdery substance, as well as two empty fire extinguishers that had been taken from an apartment building in the area. Police charged Dixon with burglary and mischief, as well as two counts of grand the. DON'T BE A DONKEY TO DONKEYS LUCENA, Spain — A Spanish court threw out a case against a man who sat on a baby donkey and caused it to die, reports e Local. e man had sat on the donkey as a prank in De- cember 2014, when the animal was part of a live nativity display. In the process, the man — who weighed 330 pounds — killed the four-month-old donkey named Platero. A photo of the man on the don- key went viral on social media, and it received criticism from many Spaniards. Animal rights organizations were outraged by the incident, with the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals reported as saying there was "no ex- cuse for the pain that this donkey endured from his internal injuries or for his horrible death." PETA also said the nativity organizers "now have the blood of this poor donkey on their hands," reported e Local. A judge in Malaga, Spain said the donkey's death was not criminal, reported the media outlet. A donkey sanctuary called El Refugio del Burrito had brought the complaint. "We do not credit any aggressive action on the part of the accused, or neglect on behalf of the town hall, which is worthy of criminal sanc- tions," the judge said. However, the judge said this did not "close the door to possible adminis- trative or civil penalties." e sanctuary said it will appeal the judge's decision, said the media report. e Daily Telegraph reported earlier this year — citing a Spanish media source — that under the private prosecution the man could face up to 18 months in prison if convicted. He also could face a fine or an animal ban. e refuge turned to social media to finance the public prosecution and collected donations through its web site. LT

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