An application for anonymity in Nova Scotia Supreme Court has revealed allegations of sexual harassment against two Halifax businessmen, who in turn claim they are being falsely accused and extorted.

The court will hear the case Tuesday morning in Halifax.

The businessmen are asking the court to protect their identities by referring to them as Jim Doe and John Doe in all court documents.

They wish their accuser to be referred to as Jane Roe.

Through their lawyers, the men argue that threats of civil action by Jane Roe are effectively an extortion attempt because if they don't settle out of court, their names will be made public.

Businessmen admit to relationships

In court documents, both men admit to engaging in relationships with Jane Roe, who was an employee of a company they both did business with.

The documents describe John Doe as a "high-profile businessman."

A letter from Jane Roe's lawyer to John Doe claims in the course of their business relationship she was "coerced into compliance with your sexual conduct when you threatened to withdraw your [redacted] and encourage others in your community to do the same if she did not comply."

Psychologist's report

The nature of the alleged sexual harassment is contained in a psychologist's report commissioned by Jane Roe's lawyer and sent to both men to detail the allegations.

The psychologist, whose name is redacted, said Jane Roe indicated none of her other 50 clients crossed any professional boundaries with her at work.

The psychologist says the woman said the sexual misconduct by the two men started "simultaneously, at approximately the same time."

Relationship with John Doe

The psychologist wrote Jane Roe told him she became closer with John Doe after he confided in her about his marriage.

Their relationship became physical.

"She provided oral sex on one occasion but he thought it was 'dirty'. The majority of their physical relations involved kissing and touching over and under clothes (e.g. him touching her breasts)," the report states.

Details about how Jane Roe's relationship with John Doe ended are redacted from the report.

Facebook request for $6,500

According to John Doe's court submissions, Jane Roe reached out to him through Facebook in August 2014, "several years after the relationship had ended."

The application quotes Jane Roe's Facebook messages in which she referred to their "very special relationship which I respectfully kept in confidence."

Her Facebook message went on, "This is a one-time request of $6,500 which you can consider a gift to me. I was hard hit financially by my marriage ending and I knew I could turn to someone who shared a mutual understanding of what trust means."

A copy of the Facebook correspondence shows John Doe's response: "[Y]our message has prompted me to gather my family together and show them this message. I explaines [sic] everything to my wife and she is expecting you to call.… Do not contact me again."

Jane Roe replied that since he's told his family, she will no longer keep the secret. "It's amazing how many people seem to want to know about us," she wrote.

John Doe responded: "Google extortion it's a criminal offence thx for these messages for the proof."

Jane Roe replied, "I am sorry you feel this is extortion? Try 'gift', 'mistress,' and 'unfaithful.'"

She went on, "A client/rep relationship could be construed as sexual harassment on your end. I had to live up to the expectations of my client."

Relationship with Jim Doe

Through his lawyers, the second businessman, Jim Doe, states he was a customer of Jane Roe's employer "in the early to late 2000s."

"Over time, the relationship evolved to a stage where Jim Doe paid for and received sexual services from Ms. Roe. These facts are not in dispute," the documents state.

The same records say Jane Roe's lawyer contacted Jim Doe in late April, saying she was considering a lawsuit, but that she "was prepared at this stage to address possible resolution without making this matter public."

Jane Roe's allegations against Jim Doe are also detailed in the psychologist's report.

"Jim Doe's first inappropriate behaviour occurred in his office when he grabbed her hand and stated … that she was 'beautiful.' Jane Roe reported that she then got up to leave but he blocked the door, stated, 'you're not leaving without a kiss goodbye,' then proceeded to kiss her on the lips for approximately five seconds," the report states.

The report says approximately a month later, Jane Roe began to perform oral sex on Jim Doe, after she had said no on "four to five" previous occasions.

The report says oral sex continued approximately twice a week for a "period of [redacted] years," and that she was paid $100 to $150 each time.

The report says the sexual contact ceased once Jim Doe was no longer a client.

"Thus once Jim no longer held power related to her work, Jane Roe was reportedly able to refuse," the psychologist wrote.

Cocaine addiction

Subsequent to Jane Roe's relationships with the two businessmen, court records state she had an affair with a cocaine dealer identified in court documents as U.M.

That affair led to the breakdown of Jane Roe's marriage.

"Jane Roe" admits to suffering from a heavy cocaine addiction.

She also fell into a serious cocaine addiction, consuming between $400 and $450 of the drug each day.

The psychologist's report says Jane Roe's addiction caused her to lose her job and declare bankruptcy.

The psychologist diagnosed Jane Roe with severe cocaine use disorder, moderate PTSD, generalized anxiety and persistent depressive disorder.

The psychologist concluded, "There is a direct relationship between her PTSD and the sexual harassment and misconduct.… Her cocaine use disorder is likely reflective of maladaptive coping strategy to avoid her emotions related to the harassment."

The hearing on the confidentiality applications by Jim Doe and John Doe will be heard Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at Nova Scotia Supreme Court.