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“He was a young, good-looking all-star,” she says. “He had a documented gambling problem. There were things they swept under the rug because he was the golden boy.” The day after she complained, “they offered me a very generous package to leave the firm.”

She chose to stay and fight, and says, “they came after me. They attacked the people who supported me. They had a way of making life so unpleasant for anybody who stood up to them.” She has since found a new job.

Would she complain again, if the same thing happened?

“I would probably do what most people do, and keep my head down and start looking for a new job,” she says. “Standing up for myself wreaked havoc on my life.”





Howard Levitt: Since Ghomeshi’s strategy must have far more to do with his reputation and re-employability than any potential reinstatement (he won’t be), his interest lies in doing his best to ensure both that his narrative prevails and that those with a different tale to tell are silenced. This multi-million action, however frivolous legally, might just accomplish both.

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Firms do protect their stars, Ms. Petersen says, but “it’s less common now than it was 10 years ago. Now employers take it more seriously. I know of cases where law firms have taken action against very successful and powerful men.”

Anyone in Ontario with a discrimination or harassment complaint involving a lawyer can contact Ms. Petersen; she offers confidential advice and can mediate a resolution. The Law Society covers her fees. Complaints to her, proportionally, come as often from small firms in rural Ontario or from government as from the big Bay Street law firms.