Doctors ‘wrongly and excessively’ prescribed boy drugs before he died in Ont. couple's care, lawsuit claims

WARNING: This story details allegations of child abuse.

NOTE: This is the second in a two-part series on the civil lawsuit filed by the biological family of the two boys. You can read the first story here.

A 12-year-old boy who died while in the care of two Ontario women was “wrongly and excessively” prescribed medications by several doctors who didn’t assess him in person, according to a lawsuit filed by his biological family. 

His younger brother experienced the same overprescribing while living with Becky Hamber and Brandy Cooney in Burlington, the statement of claim alleges. 

“The doctors clearly breached their professional duties,” it says. “Their negligent actions, particularly in their prescribing practices, directly contributed to the harm suffered by the children and ultimately to [the boy’s] death.” 

The lawsuit, which alleges negligence and seeks over $4 million in damages, is separate from the Milton Superior Court criminal trial for Cooney and Hamber, who’ve pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder of the older boy, and charges of confinement, assault with a weapon and failing to provide the necessaries of life to his brother.

The Indigenous boys' identities are protected under a publication ban. For our coverage, we're referring to the older boy as L.L., who died on Dec. 21, 2022, and his brother as J.L. We’re also withholding the family members’ names to protect the boys’ identities as required by the court. 

The civil lawsuit was filed in Ottawa Superior Court in December 2024 on behalf of J.L., the estate of L.L. and the boys’ birth mother. 

The defendants are Hamber and Cooney, the Halton and Ottawa Children’s Aid Societies (CAS), psychiatrists Dr. Shelinderjit Dhaliwal and Dr. Paul Singleton, family physician Dr. Graeme Duncan, and “Jane Doe” and “John Doe” as placeholders if more need to be added.

CBC Hamilton reached out to the defendants, some through their lawyers, who either didn’t respond or declined to comment as the criminal proceedings that began in mid-September are ongoing. 

Singleton and Duncan have notified the court they intend to defend themselves, as has Ottawa CAS. No statements of defence have yet been filed. 

None of the civil lawsuit’s allegations have been proven in court. 

Singleton was J.L.’s psychiatrist and saw him consistently until he retired in 2021. 

Dhaliwal, who testified during the murder trial, took over his care but didn’t see him in person for over a year. L.L. was also her patient, but saw him only once in person — in early 2022.