Second man sues estate of former hockey coach, lawyer accused of sex crimes

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This article was published 08/04/2024 (563 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A second man is suing the estate of a now-dead Winnipeg minor hockey coach and lawyer, alleging he was invited to live with him as a teen and repeatedly abused as a sex “slave.”

Robert (Bob) Dawson, died of suicide at a Winnipeg hotel in October 2021 at age 57, six weeks after Winnipeg police charged him with sex assault and a slew of other sexual offences over allegations he repeatedly abused two boys between 1993 and 1995 while he was a coach in the Assiniboine Park Hockey Association.

Police said shortly after his death that sex crimes investigators had located further potential victims after they publicly announced the initial charges.

On March 26, lawyer Karen Wittman of Myers LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of an anonymous man referred to as John Doe in the Court of King’s Bench against Dawson’s estate, the second such civil action since 2022.

The man alleges he was 17 when he met Dawson in 2008, shortly after he moved to Winnipeg to live with his sister and finish high school.

The claim says the man was interested in attending law school and Dawson offered to help him pursue a legal career.

The man claims Dawson pursued a relationship of trust with him by offering to help him with school and taking him out to meals, before persuading him in 2009 to move into his home rent-free.

But after he moved in, the man alleges, Dawson reneged and insisted the man have sex with him instead of paying rent.

Beginning in 2009 and continuing into 2010, the court papers allege Dawson would lock him in a cage in his basement for hours at a time, force him to wear a ball gag, make him recite statements Dawson wrote about “being Dawson’s ‘slave’ while tied to a support beam,” spank him repeatedly, fondle his genitals and photograph and videotape him.

Dawson also allegedly made him wear a lock and collar while in public, the court papers claim.

The alleged abuser would also tell him after the sex assaults that he should not tell anyone about it as “no one would believe a young person’s word over that of a respected lawyer,” reads the statement of claim.

The man says Dawson’s alleged actions inflicted severe emotional distress. He is seeking damages from the estate for his pain and suffering, psychological injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and addictions, as well as a slew of other effects of the alleged abuse on his life and well being.

“The plaintiff’s ability to carry on the normal tasks of daily living has been impaired and his enjoyment of life has been diminished,” reads the claim. “The plaintiff has attempted to commit suicide and such attempts were directly caused by the sexual assaults.”

The court papers say the man has and continues to need medical attention and psychological treatment and struggled to continue his education and work.

He is seeking general and special damages, including for medical expenses, as well aggravated, punitive and exemplary damages.

The claim says the man only came to recognize that Dawson’s conduct was sexual assault later in life, but that he was afraid of reporting it, considering Dawson’s position as a lawyer.

No dollar figure is cited in the court papers.

The new lawsuit comes after an Ontario man filed suit against Dawson’s estate in December 2022. That lawsuit, which alleged Dawson groomed and then sexually abused the plaintiff while Dawson was a hockey coach, appears to still be before the court. No further documents have been filed.

The Ontario man reported the abuse to Winnipeg police in 2021, his court filings said.

erik.pindera@freepress.mb.ca