Langley attorney Rowan Davison suspended for sexual harassment and racist feedback at paintings

Langley attorney Rowan Davison suspended for sexual harassment and racist feedback at paintings

Racist feedback have been directed towards folks of South Asian and Asian heritage and Indigenous folks

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Circle of relatives attorney Rowan MacKenzie Davison has been suspended from observe for 4 1/2 months after admitting to a number of acts of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, in addition to making racist and irrelevant feedback over a number of years at his Langley observe.

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Consistent with a ruling launched via the Regulation Society of B.C. Tribunal Listening to Department, Davison admitted to sexually harassing a number of of his feminine staff in quite a lot of tactics, together with undesirable massages, undesirable makes an attempt at kissing and irrelevant feedback like telling an worker her ponytail used to be similar to “bondage hair,” some other that they have been “having a look sizzling” and asking some other in the event that they have been dressed in a bra.

His racist feedback have been directed towards folks of South Asian and Asian heritage and Indigenous folks.

Those movements took place between 2018 and 2021.

“(Davison) admits that he made unwelcome remarks and engaged in undesirable behavior of a sexual nature at his company (Dreyer Davison LLP) and that he made remarks of a racist or discriminatory nature to a number of staff,” the panel said. “We discover that the behavior is a marked departure from the usual anticipated of legal professionals and constitutes skilled misconduct.”

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In February 2020, Davison — conscious about court cases about him that were made to the regulation society — employed a company known as Sensitivity Coaching Canada to behavior a compulsory four-hour workshop for the entire place of job.

Right through an interview with a regulation society investigator in September 2021, Davison mentioned that he used to be appalled at his behaviour and had “executed a whole about-face. A 180. Please don’t however it is advisable communicate to any workforce member and they’d don’t have anything however sparkling issues to mention about me.”

In April 2022, Davison wrote a letter to the panel acknowledging his movements have been mistaken and apologizing for the ones movements. His spouse and stepdaughter — who each additionally paintings on the company — submitted personality reference letters mentioning he used to be now not racist.

The tribunal wrote that Davison had created a poisonous paintings atmosphere and that he persevered his behaviour even if he knew that there used to be an investigation underway.

As punishment, the tribunal has suspended Davison for 18 weeks beginning Aug. 1.

Davison should additionally put in force anti-sexual harassment and anti-discriminatory insurance policies and procedures in his place of job, and pay the regulation society prices of $3,500.

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