Dog-Napping Lawyer Ordered To Return Pooch

When lawyer Natalie Simpson grabbed three-year-old boxer Layla off the road in broad daylight, she was barking up the wrong tree, in line with Ontario Superior Court Justice Eugenia Papageorgiou in a recent ruling.

According to the opinion, Simpson and fellow lawyer Michael Duboff have been in a typical legislation relationship for 4 years between 2015 and 2019. Layla was adopted in 2018. After the couple cut up, Duboff would sometimes depart the canine with Simpson to take care of, owing to the couple’s amicable cut up.

That “amicable” half appears to have disintegrated in early 2020 when Duboff began relationship somebody new.

Simpson didn’t see the canine for about 5 months earlier than…

Approximately one 12 months after their separation and 5 months after Natalie had final seen Layla or communicated with Michael, Natalie noticed Layla being walked by somebody who she didn’t know on St. Clair Avenue. It was Julieta Mandelbaum (“Juli”), Michael’s new girlfriend. Natalie stopped her automotive, ran throughout the road and struck up a dialog with Juli. She then took Layla’s leash and ran throughout St. Clair Avenue to a automotive what place considered one of her co-workers was parked. Juli telephoned Michael and adopted Natalie, begging for her to return Layla however Natalie put Layla within the automotive and drove away.

Bold.

That gave rise to a civil continuing over canine custody that unintentionally serves as a warning towards ever relationship a lawyer… ever. From the opinion:

This matter was crucial to the events. Natalie even had two attorneys representing her. Each of Michael’s and Natalie’s closing submissions have been roughly 75 pages lengthy.

Do they not know aboot page limits in Canada? Because they’re helpful.

In the top, Duboff prevailed. As Court Report Canada explains:

Simpson argued that the couple made joint resolution about Layla’s care, citing emails and texts that suggesting the canine was collectively owned, together with a message what place Duboff wrote that he had “found a dog for you,” and an electronic mail to the vet saying, “Natalie and I are getting a new puppy.” But Justice Papageorgiou was not satisfied:

“I agree with Michael that, in the context of all the other evidence before me, these texts are not evidence of ownership but rather communications between a committed couple. Layla was their family dog, but it does mean that she was jointly owned,” she concluded.

And as a canine fairly than a baby, Layla has to belong to another person the courts get entangled in supervised visits which might pressure judicial sources much more than wading by way of 150-pages of filings a few canine.

As it’s not potential to speak about Layla with out a coda, Justice Eugenia Papageorgiou concludes:

If the events can not agree on prices, they might make submissions now not than 5 pages every, Michael Duboff inside 7 days and Natalie inside 7 days thereafter.

So this ugly episode can finish with the heartwarming information that she’s discovered her lesson about page limits.

Toronto lawyer must return dog-napped boxer to ex-partner, judge rules [Court Report Canada]

Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any suggestions, questions, or feedback. Follow him on Twitter when you’re inquisitive about legislation, politics, and a wholesome dose of faculty sports activities information. Joe additionally serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.