01/16/2026
š§¾ UPDATEš§¾
Paul Currie
Paul has been found guilty of judicial misconduct by a disciplinary body in connection with allegations related to s*xual assault and assault.
Paul has been SUSPENDED WITH PAY since 2023.
His term as Regional Senior Judge of the Central West Region of the Ontario Court of Justice ended on Aug. 31, 2025.
Paul could be reprimanded, be ordered to issue an apology to the complainant, suspended with pay for any period or suspended without pay for a period of up to thirty days.
The panel is expected to hear arguments on his penalty next month.
š„ Toronto, Ontario š„
ā ļøSenior Ontario judge facing misconduct allegations of s*xual assault, drinking and drivingā ļø
Related criminal charges against Justice Paul Currie were withdrawn. The 70-year-old judge previously attempted to have the specific allegations against him shielded by a publication ban.
A senior judge who was once in the running to become chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice allegedly assaulted and s*xually assaulted a woman, tried to dissuade her from speaking to the police, and had drunk beer while driving āon multiple occasions,ā according to newly-unsealed discipline allegations.
Justice Paul Currie, who is currently suspended with pay, is facing a rare misconduct hearing before the Ontario Judicial Council, set to begin April 14 in Toronto. The 70-year-old judge had previously attempted to have the specific allegations against him shielded by a publication ban, later dropping that request but arguing that they should be āexcluded or excisedā from the file. The argument was recently rejected by the four-member panel that will preside over his discipline hearing. (The panel did order a publication ban on the name of the woman and any information that could identify her.
The discipline case against Currie was sparked by a letter sent to the judicial council in April 2023 by then-Ontario Court Chief Justice Lise Maisonneuve, who advised that Currie had been arrested on charges of assault and assault causing bodily harm. Maisonneuve was required by law to report the charges to the council, which is responsible for investigating and disciplining provincially-appointed judges.
The charges were withdrawn by an out-of-province Crown attorney two months later, citing no reasonable prospect of conviction after a meeting with the complainant.
Some of the allegations behind the criminal charges are now part of the discipline case, āand arise from a single complainant who is involved in a concurrent civil action,ā Currieās lawyer Brennan Smart told the Star. He said the allegations remain unproven.
At the time of his arrest, Currie was the regional senior justice for the central west region, which includes the Brampton and Milton courthouses. According to an email obtained by the Star, he was also on Attorney General Doug Downeyās five-judge shortlist in 2023 to succeed Maisonneuve as the provincial courtās next chief justice.
Following a lengthy investigation, a notice of hearing filed with the council alleges that in January 2023, Currie approached the woman ā identified only as AA ā while she was asleep and āengaged in s*xual in*******se with her without her consent.ā He then allegedly assaulted her, injuring her jaw.
He also allegedly pushed the woman and injured her wrist in April 2023. The woman called 911.
The alleged attacks are related to anger issues and alcohol consumption, the notice says, further alleging that āJustice Currie has consumed beer on multiple occasions while driving.ā
The notice states that a day after the alleged April incident, Currie asked the woman if she knew what would happen to him if he was arrested or went to jail.
āThis conduct was an attempt to influence, or could reasonably be perceived as an attempt to influence, AA to decline to give a statement to the police,ā the notice alleges.
An arrest warrant was issued for Currie on April 6, 2023; the police tried calling him that day but he didnāt answer, according to the notice of hearing. He knew there was a warrant for his arrest, the notice states, and told police through his lawyer that he wouldnāt surrender until April 11, five days later.
āNeither the police nor the Crown agreed to this delay,ā according to the notice, though Currie nevertheless surrendered on April 11.
At some point after the criminal charges were withdrawn in June 2023, Currie allegedly told AA that the judicial council had taken over the case by referring to the council as a ākangaroo court,ā and implied that the police had exaggerated her allegations.
This conduct was an attempt to dissuade, or could reasonably be perceived as an attempt to dissuade, AA from cooperating with the Ontario Judicial Councilās investigation,ā the notice alleges.
The notice states that Currieās alleged misconduct undermines the publicās confidence in the administration of justice, and āin the judgeās ability to perform the duties of his office.ā
If found guilty of misconduct, potential penalties for Currie include a reprimand, suspension with or without pay, or a recommendation to the attorney general that he be removed from office.
The case is being heard by Court of Appeal Justice Paul Rouleau, provincial court judge Christine Pirraglia, lawyer Ena Chadha, and community member Jovica Palashevski.
