Why The Soulpepper Four Skipped The Cops & Went After Albert Schultz

The Soulpepper Four — four women who have filed a civil suit for sexual battery and harassment against actor and founder Albert Schultz — are the leading edge of a tectonic shift in how modern women respond to sexual assault.

In a post-Ghomeshi #MeToo world, the criminal courts are being sidelined for the instant gratification and humiliation of a publicly filed civil claim. Reduced burdens of proof and a requirement that the defendant ‘take the stand’ to answer questions on discovery make this route increasingly popular and meaningful to sexual assault survivors but dangerous to defendants.

We work closely with employment lawyers, personal injury lawyers, and civil litigators to share my decades of experience as a criminal defence counsel.

If you are facing such a claim, you already know how ruinous the allegations can be to your personal and professional life.

If you are making the claim, you know how difficult it is to be meticulously questioned about your most intimate experiences.

Regardless of what side of the case you are on, we can help.

Read partner Edward Prutschi’s column in this weekend’s National Post and contact him to bring us onto your team.