A Winnipeg lawyer who is now suspended from practising is being sued by a former client who is currently an inmate at Brandon Correctional Centre.

Lawyer Chad Sutherland was suspended by the Manitoba Law Society in a Feb. 18 decision, after a hearing found him guilty of professional misconduct. 

He’s now being sued by a man who retained Sutherland in January 2023 to represent him on numerous criminal charges.

In an email to CBC, the man said it “outlines concerns relating to representation, handling of funds, and actions that I believe compromised my legal position.”

The lawsuit, filed in Manitoba Court of King’s Bench in Winnipeg on Feb. 24, names Sutherland and Gindin Wiebe Segal Law, the law firm where he worked, as defendants. The suit alleges Sutherland breached his duties as a lawyer to the plaintiff, and that the law firm is vicariously liable.

The man’s lawsuit was filed six days after the Law Society of Manitoba suspended Sutherland indefinitely from practising law, for offences such as failing to show up in court when he was required to, and for repeatedly asking a former client for money.

The plaintiff who is now suing Sutherland has faced dozens of criminal charges since 2022, including drug and firearm charges, along with charges for sexual assault, uttering threats and distributing intimate images.

Some charges were stayed in October 2024, while dozens of others are still before the court. The man is being held at Brandon Correctional Centre and has an upcoming court date of March 10.

He claims in his lawsuit that in December 2023, he paid Sutherland $40,000 in cash, which was to be a retainer of $10,000 and $30,000 that would remain in trust. 

Sutherland “performed no meaningful legal work,” the lawsuit alleges. It says $31,420 was returned to the client, but the remaining $8,580 is unaccounted for.

The court document says the law firm is vicariously liable for Sutherland’s conduct, which it alleges include breach of contract, professional negligence and unjust enrichment.

The plaintiff says he was forced to retain new counsel but had difficulty getting a new lawyer because other lawyers “declined due to conflicts or professional relationships involving Sutherland or the firm,” the court document says.

The lawsuit also alleges the plaintiff’s signature was forged on a document produced by the defendants.

He’s representing himself in his lawsuit, which seeks damages of $250,000 plus costs.

The allegations in the lawsuit have not been tested in court and statements of defence have not been filed.

CBC reached out to the law firm for comment on the lawsuit but did not receive a response prior to publication.