Lawyer who oversaw Caledonia class action charged with fraud: police
A lawyer who oversaw a successful class-action lawsuit connected to a major land claim dispute in Ontario has been accused of misappropriating more than a million dollars from the settlement.
Hamilton police say John Wallace Findlay turned himself in to the Law Society of Ontario more than a year ago after allegedly spending the reserve funds from the 2011 class action filed by residents and businesses involved in the years-long dispute near Caledonia, Ont.
The Law Society said Thursday that Findlay came forward and said he had used “and was unable to replenish trust funds that the Superior Court had ordered him to hold in reserve for final distribution to class members in a class action.”
The court had ordered Findlay to hold $1.5 million in reserve. Police allege Findlay spent the money in reserve.