Law Times

Page 20 November 30, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com FROM THE DISCIPLINE FILES Lawyers Brian Radnoff and Chris Moore have successfully defended Nepean, Ont., lawyer Luigi Savone in front of a Law Society of Upper Canada Appeals Tribunal. The Law Society revoked Savone's licence last March, after a hearing panel concluded that Savone know- ingly participated in a mortgage fraud between 2000 and 2003, and ordered him to pay $10,000 in costs. However, on appeal, the hearing panel ruling was set aside on the is- sues of disclosure, professional misconduct, and penalty, and a new hearing was ordered. Toronto lawyer Remy G. Boghossian has had his licence sus- pended on an interim basis in advance of a Law Society hearing into his case. Boghossian made the news earlier this year after being found guilty of a nearly $2-million fraud involving the Royal Bank of Canada and a scheme to purchase unique gold bars. In that case, Judge A.J. O'Marra disagreed that the corporate lawyer was duped. "I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Remy Boghossian was a knowing participant in the presentation of the fraudulent bank draft to the Royal Bank of Canada on February 10, 2011 and subsequently possessed gold knowing it had been ob- tained by a criminal offence." Also having their licences revoked were Woodstock lawyer Peter David Snyder and Toronto lawyer Golnaz Vakili. Snyder was found to have engaged in conduct unbecoming after being convicted of defrauding four individuals. He was also ordered to pay $5,380 in costs. Vakili was kicked out for misconduct and knowingly assisting in dishonesty or fraud in connection with 13 property transactions and failing to be honest and candid with her lender clients. She was or- dered to pay $50,000 in costs. NCAA SPORTS SPAT LEADS TO NEW NICKNAME FOR ND TEAMS GRAND FORKS, ND — So long Blackhawks, Indians, and Redskins? The University of North Dakota said it will adopt the "Fighting Hawks" as its new nickname after retiring the "Fighting Sioux," which was banned under a national col- lege sports policy that deemed such names and symbols racially offensive. Voters, including students, faculty, staff, retir- ees, alumni, donors, and season ticket holders, chose "Fighting Hawks" over "Roughriders" after a third runoff vote conducted in mid-November. The Hawks received slightly more than 57 per cent of the 27,378 votes cast. The Fighting Sioux nickname was dropped in 2012. The National Collegiate Athletic Asso- ciation, which governs U.S. college sports, in 2005 adopted a policy barring images considered of- fensive by native American groups, while allow- ing schools to use them if the namesake groups approved. The university faced NCAA sanctions, including being barred from hosting athletic championships. The school sued the NCAA over the policy, but it agreed in a 2007 settlement to retire the name and logo if it could not obtain support from two namesake tribes. One tribe approved, but the second never voted. MAN SELLS BRAINS ON EBAY INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — What was he thinking? A 23-year-old Indiana man pleaded guilty to breaking into a medical museum and stealing preserved human brains and other tissue that he then sold online, authorities said. David Charles, of Indianapolis, pleaded guilty to six charges, including receiving stolen property and burglary, in a Marion County court where Magistrate Amy Barbar sentenced him to one year of home detention and two years of proba- tion, county prosecutor spokesman Anthony Deer said. Charles, on multiple occasions, broke into the Indiana Medical History Museum to steal jars of brains and other human tissue, according to the Marion County prosecutor's office. Charles was arrested in December 2013 after a San Diego man who bought six jars of brain ma- terial for $600 on eBay alerted police, according to court documents. BAD SPELLING FOILS MURDER PLOT LONDON — I'll drink to that! A British woman who tried to kill her husband by poisoning his Christmas drink of sparkling fruit wine with an- ti-freeze was jailed for 15 years after being undone by a spelling mistake and a trail of text messages. Following family arguments, Jacqueline Pat- rick, 55, twice tried to kill her husband Douglas, 70, in October and on Christmas Day 2013, by spiking his cherry Lambrini, a drink favoured by teenagers looking to get drunk on a low budget. "Perhaps most shocking of all was the note she gave to the London Ambulance Service purport- ing to be from her husband, stating that he did not wish to be resuscitated," said Detective Inspector Tracey Miller, of London's Metropolitan Police, in a statement. The forged note showed a mis- spelling of the word dignity as "dignerty". When police later asked her to write the word, Jacqueline Patrick made the same mistake. COPS NAB COOKIE BANDIT HOUSTON, TEX. — Will that be cash or Oreos? Police arrested a man dubbed the "Cookie Mon- ster" robber who is suspected in holdups at more than 30 fast-food restaurants, often demanding that a cookie be handed over along with the cash. Eugene Bradshaw, 24, and his accomplice Kristy George, 34, were arrested on suspicion of armed robbery with a deadly weapon in 33 cases over the past two months in the Houston area. Surveillance video of a few of the robberies, aired on local TV news, showed the suspect entering restaurants with a bag over his hand. The suspect during the robberies said there was a gun in the bag and demanded cash, and at time cookies, before making off with the money, police said. LT ARE YOU RECEIVING CANADIAN LEGAL NEWSWIRE? Keep abreast of essential legal news, opinions and analysis with our electronic newswire. VISIT OUR WEBSITE WWW.LAWTIMESNEWS.COM SIGN UP FOR FREE From the publisher of and CLNW_LT_Nov2_15.indd 1 2015-10-28 8:33 AM u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story BIG GETS BIGGER In a three-way hookup, fast-grow- ing Dentons, Singapore's Rodyk, and Australian law firm Gadens are joining forces to create a domi- nant global law firm in the Pa- cific Rim. Rodyk, a 200-lawyer firm, dates back to 1861. It is Sin- gapore's first law firm and one of the largest full-service law firms with a strong regional practice. Its focus is corporate, finance, intel- lectual property and technology, litigation and arbitration, and real estate. Gadens is a leading Austra- lian law firm with more than 500 lawyers and 550 professional staff across its seven Australian loca- tions. The new firm, which is ex- pected to launch in 2016, will be big, with 130 offices in 50 coun- tries. It will include more than 7,300 lawyers, 9,000 timekeep- ers, and nearly 13,000 people. Good thing The Inside Story doesn't have to do the payroll! POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in and the findings? Lawyers like it! Readers overwhelmingly voted in the affirmative when asked whether they supported the Public Participation Act, the Wynne government's effort to eliminate SLAPP in Ontario. SLAPP involves strategic law- suits designed to curtail public participation. More than 83 per cent voted that the legislation was long overdue, versus 16 per cent of those who felt it would curtail legitimate actions from moving forward. According to the Ministry of the Attorney General, the new law amends the Courts of Justice Act, the Libel and Slander Act, and the Statutory Powers and Procedures Act to allow "the public to participate more freely in public discussions without fear of retribution." It creates a fast-track review process to identify and deal with strategic lawsuits, and includes new protections from defama- tion when someone airs his or her views on public matters through third parties, such as the media. LT "It's the clash of the Titans: artificial intelligence versus natural William P. McNeely." Brian Radnoff

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