Canadian Lawyer

10 M A R C H 2 0 1 6 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m E dmonton law firm Engel Law is suing an Alberta correctional officer over outrageous alleged remarks about female lawyers smuggling narcotics in their uteruses. According to the statement of claim, Edsel Lim told criminology students on a tour of the Edmonton remand centre in 2014 that lawyers were to blame for routine smuggling of drugs into the jail — particularly female lawyers, who were stashing contraband in their uteruses. "The issue is with you people," Lim is alleged to have said, while pointing to female stu- dents. "If vaginas can fit a baby, they can suitcase drugs." The remarks came to light after Engel Law, which is known for pursuing abuse complaints against police and correction- al officers, filed a statement of claim last month for $75,000 in punitive damages. Beyond general statements about his dislike for lawyers, Lim is also alleged to have referenced Engel Law specifically when he said that "the firm that always sues us" and "the female lawyer that sued him" were smuggling drugs into the centre. One of the students on the tour in 2014 was the sister of one of the members of Engel's firm, says Thomas Engel, so that is how they found out about the remarks. Engel told Legal Feeds blog the firm did not move to sue immediately but filed repeated complaints before deciding to file a statement of claim. "We made a complaint to the government and we got the brush-off. We were told it was investigated and that appropriate action was taken, but they wouldn't tell us what it was. And then we made a complaint to the new justice minister, Kathleen Gan- ley, and also to the premier, Rachel Not- ley, and didn't even get so much as the courtesy of a reply," says Engel. "And so it was decided, all right, that's not going to work, so we're going to deal with it this way, especially when we found out that this guy is still in the same position." Lawyer Kelly Dawson says the remarks aren't necessarily a sign of an anti-lawyer culture in the city's jails. "You can certainly contemplate the possibility that, well, there must be a culture of that kind of talk if he's going to say that to the general public — or you might just be dealing with one fellow who's got no controls or filters whatsoever," says Dawson, also president of the Alberta Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. Dawson was nonetheless shocked by the openness with which Lim allegedly defamed Engel's office."I couldn't believe what was coming out of this guard's mouth, allegedly," he says. If the guard made those statements, it's obvious who he was talking about. "It's common knowl- edge. People reading the paper, they see Mr. Engel's name in there on a routine \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP W E S T LAW FIRM SUES PRISON GUARD OVER DRUG-SMUGGLING REMARKS A WORLD LEADER IN LAW SCHOOL LIFELONG LEARNING OsgoodePD has been approved as an Accredited Provider of Professionalism Content by the LSUC. Get the OsgoodePD experience online. Continuing legal education available at your convenience. Access thousands of hours of practical LQIRUPDWLRQIURPWKHFRQYHQLHQFHRI\RXURIoFH or home. OsgoodePD's diverse range of online offerings include interactive live programs (with live Q&A), recordings of some of our most popular programs, DVZHOODVSUHPLXPFRQWHQWGHVLJQHGVSHFLoFDOO\ for online learning. Make the most of your time with in-depth programs led by the leading legal experts from across Canada. For a full listing or to register: osgoodepd.ca/online24-7 Untitled-1 1 2016-02-12 8:37 AM

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