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Burden too much to carry: accuser

Says he's been unfairly painted as an extortionist

By: Gabrielle Giroday

Posted: 09/2/2010 1:00 AM

Alex Chapman says he waited until a civil matter ended recently to come forward. (KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ) Photo Store

The legal careers of the justice and her husband

Associate Chief Justice Lori Douglas

Douglas received her bachelor of arts degree at the University of Winnipeg in 1978.

She received her bachelor of laws from the University of Manitoba in 1982, and was called to the Manitoba bar in 1983.

Douglas was a professor at the University of Manitoba law school and at the Bar Admission Course.

As a lawyer, she was a partner at Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, where she specialized in family law.

Douglas was appointed a Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench Justice for the court's family division by then federal Justice Minister Irwin Cotler on May 20, 2005. She was appointed the same day as Justice Lori Spivak.

When Douglas was elevated to the position of Associate Chief Justice of the Family Division of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench by Prime Minister Stephen Harper on May 19, 2009, she replaced Justice Gerry Mercier.

Jack King

King received his degree of Utter Barrister, was called to the Bar of England and Wales, and got his bachelor of law degree (honours) from London University before coming to Canada in 1979.

King was called to the bar in Manitoba in 1980.

King practised with another Winnipeg law firm before joining Thompson Dorfman Sweatman as a partner in 1990.

King was vice-chairman of the Manitoba Bar Association's family law subsection from 1986 to 1987, and chairman from 1987 to 1990.

He was the first president of Family Mediation Manitoba from 1987 to 1989.

King has been a lecturer and seminar presenter at the University of Manitoba's law school, the Law Society of Manitoba, and other public seminars and conferences.

After leaving Thompson Dorfman and Sweatman, he opened his own law firm, which is located in the former River Mandarin building.

King was also a president of Tennis Manitoba in the early 1990s.

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The man whose allegations sparked a scandal that has rocked the province's legal community defended on Wednesday his decision to disclose his claim a Manitoba judge and her lawyer husband tried to lure him sexually.

Alex Chapman, 44, told the Free Press he's carried a heavy burden for the past seven years. Although the incidents happened in 2003, he said he's kept quiet because he feared the judge could influence a ongoing civil matter that only ended earlier this year.

Chapman alleges his divorce lawyer, Jack King, groomed and harassed him about having sex with his wife, Lori Douglas, a lawyer at the same firm. Douglas became a Queen's Bench Justice in 2005. He said he's angry as being painted as someone who was trying to extort money from the couple, and said King and Douglas both tried to seduce him.

Chapman, who now works as a computer specialist, said the couple were "ganging up" on him. "My body would never do what you don't want to do, even if you're hypnotized," he said.

"The guy was just torturing me mentally, to the point where I actually don't even know what I was doing."

Chapman said he was disgusted with pornographic photos King allegedly sent him, advertising his wife for sex with black men.

He said Douglas never said anything directly sexual to him.

However, Chapman said, Douglas said she looked forward to meeting him later.

He alleged Douglas discussed his legal troubles with him and told him details of her life, like a new horse she was getting.

He said out of desperation he accepted a $25,000 payment from King in exchange for a promise he wouldn't discuss the alleged incidents and would destroy the lewd pictures.

"I just wanted to get rid of these people harassing me for sexual favours," he said.

Chapman was involved in a civil matter that recently ended and he feared Douglas could influence the results of the hearing.

"The initial discussion I had with my lawyer was that the judge... presiding is a friend of Lori Douglas," he said.

"And because of that, it appears to me that I will never have a fair trial anywhere in Manitoba if Lori Douglas is a friend of every judge, you know what I mean?"

Chapman's allegations are unproven. There is no evidence of improper conduct by Douglas while she was on the bench.

gabrielle.giroday@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition September 2, 2010 A4