Ontario (Rajeev Sharma): An Ontario judge found to have committed judicial misconduct in connection with allegations of sexual assault has retired from the bench, bringing disciplinary proceedings against him to an abrupt end.
The Ontario Judicial Council confirmed on its website that Justice Paul Currie has officially retired from the Ontario Court of Justice, effective Friday. As a result, the council said it no longer has the authority to continue proceedings related to the complaint against him.
Earlier this month, on January 13, a hearing panel of the council ruled that the majority of allegations raised in a formal complaint against Currie were substantiated and amounted to judicial misconduct. A separate hearing to determine an appropriate penalty had been scheduled for February 4.
However, the council explained that Currie’s retirement removes him from its jurisdiction. “Since Justice Currie is no longer a judge of that court, the Council no longer has jurisdiction over the complaint,” the notice stated, adding that the planned hearing on disciplinary measures will not go ahead.
The complaint was initiated by then-chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, Lise Maisonneuve, following criminal charges laid against Currie in April 2023. He had been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of assault.
Those criminal charges were later withdrawn by prosecutors in June 2023, with the Crown citing a lack of reasonable prospects for conviction.
While the retirement means Currie will not face formal disciplinary penalties from the judicial council, the finding of misconduct remains part of the public record, closing the matter without further sanctions.
