Ontario judge Paul Currie found guilty of judicial misconduct after panel accepts sexual assault allegation
A four-member Ontario Judicial Council panel found Justice Paul Currie guilty of judicial misconduct, accepting allegations he sexually assaulted and assaulted a woman and later broke her wrist.
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By Torontoer Staff
A discipline panel of the Ontario Judicial Council has found Ontario Court Justice Paul Currie guilty of judicial misconduct after accepting allegations that he sexually assaulted and assaulted a woman in January 2023 and pushed her in April 2023, breaking her wrist. The four-member panel was unanimous in accepting most of the allegations against the 71-year-old judge.
Currie, who has been suspended with pay since 2023, now faces disciplinary sanctions that could include a reprimand, suspension with or without pay, or a recommendation to the attorney general that he be removed from office. The panel will hear submissions on penalty in February and will issue its full decision at a later date.
What the panel accepted
In a brief summary of its decision released Wednesday, the panel said it accepted most of the allegations before it. Those findings include that Currie sexually assaulted and assaulted the woman in January 2023, that he pushed her in April 2023 breaking her wrist, that he tried to dissuade the woman from participating in the judicial council probe, that he drank beer on multiple occasions while driving, and that he failed to turn himself in for five days in April 2023 despite knowing there was a warrant for his arrest.
The test for judicial misconduct was met in relation to each of these allegations.
Ontario Judicial Council panel summary
The panel did reject one allegation, that Currie tried to dissuade the woman from giving a statement to police. The finding follows a multi-day hearing in Toronto last November in which both the woman, whose identity is covered by a publication ban, and Currie testified.
Allegations and testimony
The woman testified that in January 2023 Currie entered the room where she was sleeping, pulled her legs toward the edge of the bed, pinned her arms, and raped her as she pleaded with him to stop. She described being thrown onto a hardwood floor, having Currie get on top of her and grip the lower half of her face, and being told repeatedly, "You got it," before being kicked out of the room. She said she later suffered shock and pain, primarily in her jaw.
I said, 'What are you doing? Please stop.' Many times.
Woman, identity protected
She said a second incident occurred three months later when Currie pushed her and she suffered a broken wrist. She reported the April incident to police by calling 911, and reported the January assault to police at the same time, but did not disclose the sexual assault to officers then. Before the council she said she never sought criminal charges against Currie, but wanted him to get help for what she described as anger issues.
Currie, who represented himself at the judicial council hearing, denied the sexual assault allegation. He said the two argued in January and that the woman attacked him, leading to an "incident of wrestling" in which he pushed her off the bed. He denied pushing her in April, saying instead that he raised his hand to stop her during an argument and she fell. He also acknowledged delaying turning himself in after the April incident, saying he feared spending the long weekend in Maplehurst jail.
I was terrified of spending the weekend at Maplehurst.
Justice Paul Currie
How the panel weighed evidence
The panel found the woman's account of the January and April incidents to be logical, consistent on material points, and aligned with other evidence on the record. It described any inconsistencies as minor. In contrast, the panel said Currie's evidence was at times internally inconsistent and undermined by contemporaneous material.
Proceedings before the judicial council use a lower standard of proof than criminal court, requiring proof on a balance of probabilities. Currie was initially charged criminally in April 2023 with assault and assault causing bodily harm, but those charges were withdrawn two months later by an out-of-province Crown attorney, who said there was no reasonable prospect of conviction after meeting with the woman.
Background and next steps
Currie, 71, previously served as regional senior justice for the central west region, overseeing courthouses including Brampton and Milton. An email obtained by the Toronto Star in 2023 showed he was on a five-judge shortlist presented to the attorney general that year to become chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice.
- Allegations accepted by the panel included sexual assault, assault, attempting to dissuade participation in the probe, drinking beer while driving, and failing to turn himself in.
- The panel rejected the allegation that Currie tried to dissuade the woman from giving a statement to police.
- Penalties could range from reprimand to suspension, or a recommendation to the attorney general for removal from office.
- Penalty submissions will be heard in February; the full written decision will follow.
Currie did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The panel, chaired by Ontario Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, will hear arguments on penalty in February. The council's formal decision and any disciplinary action could have broader implications for public confidence in the judiciary.
Paul CurrieOntario Judicial Counciljudicial misconductsexual assaultOntario Court of Justice
