The former head of the governing body for lawyers in Ontario is being sued for $1.4 million in damages by a former client he had an affair with for more than two years.

Ottawa lawyer George Hunter, 59, and his law firm, Borden Ladner Gervais, are named as defendants in the civil action filed in Ontario Superior Court by the woman who can be identified only as A.B., as a result of a court order.

"My client was emotionally devastated by Mr. Hunter's actions," the woman's lawyer, Matthew Wilton, said Friday. "She placed her trust in him to act in her best interests. He held himself out as a pillar of the legal community."

"These are just allegations," stressed Sean Weir, national managing partner of Borden Ladner Gervais, which is one of the largest law firms in the country. "We are satisfied the firm acted appropriately," he said.

Mr. Hunter was unavailable for comment yesterday.

The prominent lawyer stepped down as treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada in December 2005, after disclosing his affair with A.B., whom he had represented in a child-custody dispute with her former husband.

Last February, at a Law Society disciplinary hearing, Mr. Hunter pleaded guilty to professional misconduct for acting in a conflict of interest in relation to a client. He was suspended from practising law for 60 days and returned to Borden Ladner Gervais last April.

The lawsuit alleges that Mr. Hunter was negligent and breached his fiduciary duty to A.B. while acting as her lawyer and her lover.

The affair began in April 2003, after Mr. Hunter assured the woman that he was married "in name only" and was not sexually active with any other individuals, the statement of claim alleges.

"A.B. was obliged to undergo testing for AIDS when Mr. Hunter disclosed to her that he had had unprotected sex with her as well as several other female partners," the documents state.

The lawsuit also alleges that Borden Ladner Gervais was negligent for failing to "adequately supervise" Mr. Hunter when "they knew or ought to have known he presented a predatory risk to his vulnerable female clients."

As well, the firm did not discover that Mr. Hunter was "purporting to provide ongoing legal services to A.B.," without regularly sending her bills, the lawsuit alleges.

It would not be appropriate to comment on specific allegations, said Mr. Weir, but he indicated that the law firm acted appropriately and swiftly once it learned of Mr. Hunter's conduct.

"We are confident Borden Ladner Gervais will be found to have acted with integrity," he said.

To assist A.B. with her family law proceeding, Mr. Hunter had access to a psychological report that the woman was emotionally vulnerable and was aware she had no romantic partner. "Mr. Hunter improperly relied upon this confidential information, imparted to Hunter qua solicitor, to groom her for a sexual and romantic relationship," the documents allege.

None of the allegations has been proven in court.

By February 2005, the lawsuit alleges that A.B. was not successful in convincing Mr. Hunter to take her legal instructions or "address the merits" of her family law proceeding. "Mr. Hunter scheduled office meetings with A.B. to discuss the file, then turned such meetings into romantic or sexual interludes," says the statement of claim.

Mr. Hunter convinced A.B. to sign a document in November 2005, that stated he had complied with the Rules of Professional Conduct for lawyers in Ontario during their relationship, according to an agreed statement of facts filed in the disciplinary hearing.

At the same time, Mr. Hunter ended his relationship with A.B. and informed her he had been having simultaneous affairs with two other women who worked at his law firm.

At his disciplinary hearing, Mr. Hunter admitted to trying to contact A.B. over the next several days to sign a statement that misrepresented their relationship.

© The National Post 2008