New Brunswick

Prominent lawyer who represented New Brunswick government faces nudity charge

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Christian Michaud says he consumed the wrong type of mushrooms

Christian Michaud, 48, of Ammon, north of Moncton, is to appear in provincial court later this month. (Shane Magee/CBC)

A lawyer who represented the provincial government on several high-profile cases and served as president of the province's law society is facing criminal charges after consuming mushrooms.

Christian Michaud, 48, of Ammon was charged Feb. 21 and is set to appear in Moncton provincial court later this month.

The charges include public nudity in Ammon, causing a disturbance on the same day, and committing mischief by making an RCMP Ford Explorer "inoperative."

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The charges allege the events occurred Sept. 22.

Michaud said he regularly forages for mushrooms and mistakenly consumed the wrong kind that resulted in a bad reaction while he was at his home north of Moncton.

"So possibly I completely lost my mind because it was a very strong hallucinogen," he told Radio-Canada.

Michaud said his wife called 911 asking for an ambulance, but police also answered the call. After he was placed in the back seat, he said he urinated in the police vehicle.

He's upset police have opted to pursue charges.

Past law society president

Michaud was president of the Law Society of New Brunswick from 2018 to 2019.

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He was a partner with Cox & Palmer for more than two decades. He recently began his own practice. He told CBC News the change was not directly related to the criminal charges.

News releases about Michaud no longer appear on the Cox & Palmer website, including one marking his appointment in 2015 as Queen's Counsel, a designation awarded to select lawyers for outstanding service, dedication and commitment to the legal profession in the province. The news releases still appear in cached versions of the Cox & Palmer website.

He represented the provincial government in a case involving the rights of thousands of nursing home workers last year. He also previously represented Ambulance New Brunswick in a lawsuit related to bilingual service .

Michaud is scheduled to appear in court March 20. He said he intends to plead not guilty and will fight the charges.

He's retained lawyer Nathan Gorham to represent him.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Shane Magee

Reporter Shane Magee is a Moncton-based reporter for CBC.

With files from Radio-Canada