Lawyer’s license suspended after telling client she could ignore court orders, move to Sudbury

A lawyer in Ottawa has lost his license for six months after it emerged he told a client on multiple occasions that she could ignore court orders and move with her child to Sudbury.

A lawyer in Ottawa has lost his license for six months after it emerged he told a client on multiple occasions that she could ignore court orders and move with her child to Sudbury.

André Bluteau also told his client that courts in Ottawa didn’t have “jurisdiction” to make decisions because she had moved to northern Ontario

According to proceedings held by the Law Society of Ontario, the case began in September 2016 when the woman retained Bluteau because of custody concerns. Her baby was just a few months, she wasn't with the father and she wanted to move to Sudbury.

“The respondent (Bluteau) advised his client that she was free to move to Sudbury without notifying the father because they were not married, had separated before the child was born and because that there was no agreement or court order determining custody and access to their child,” the law society said in its decision, dated July 28 of this year.

“The client moved to Sudbury in October 2016 without notifying the father as advised by the respondent.”

Once in Sudbury, Bluteau told her to sue the child’s father for full custody and child support. In response, the father started court proceedings in Ottawa seeking custody and access to the child.

An Ottawa judge ruled in December 2016 that the case should be heard in Ottawa and that the Sudbury proceedings be suspended. The judge also ordered the woman return to Ottawa with their young son and that the father be granted custody and access.