Ukrainian couple paid lawyer $3K to help them stay in Canada but say she 'disappeared.' It's not the 1st time

Finding refuge successful Canada from war-torn Ukraine, mates Oksana Hrabova and Oleg Lomanov accidental they didn't deliberation doubly astir trusting their Hamilton migration lawyer to assistance them enactment permanently. 

Last summer, they met Victoria Bruyn successful her downtown bureau and paid her a retainer of astir $3,000 to assistance them record their imperishable residency (PR) applications, said Hrabova. 

But aft they sent Bruyn each of the indispensable documents, she stopped responding to their emails, calls and texts successful aboriginal January, said Hrabova. More than 4 months later, they accidental they ne'er finalized the exertion with her and person fixed up anticipation that she volition assistance them arsenic promised.

"She simply disappeared," Hrabova said. "I recognize $3,000 is not an tremendous amount, but for america it is wealth that we worked hard for. We could ne'er person imagined that a licensed lawyer successful Canada could enactment this way. We are successful despair." 

CBC Hamilton has spoken to 4 families since 2023 who accidental Bruyn didn't travel done connected promises to assistance them navigate Canada's complicated, high-stakes migration process, leaving them successful limbo or, successful immoderate cases, facing deportation. 

They each expressed vexation with the deficiency of extortion for newcomers to Canada, erstwhile needing ineligible representation, and accountability for Bruyn's actions. 

Bruyn is simply a licensed lawyer, but nary longer practicing instrumentality arsenic of Oct. 24, 2024, says the Law Society of Ontario (LSO)'s registry — a alteration Hrabova said she lone learned of precocious and 1 that happened portion Bruyn was expected to beryllium handling their migration case.

"It's not right," Hrabova said. "How tin she conscionable beryllium playing with the lives of different people?" 

That time successful October, Bruyn was appointed arsenic a full-time adjudicator astatine the Landlord and Tenant Board (LTB), according to the province's website. LTB adjudicators are similar judges, proceeding and deciding issues betwixt renters and owners. 

Bruyn told CBC Hamilton she refutes Hrabova and Lomanov's claims.

"I person grounds to amusement these allegations are unfounded. However, I americium incapable to merchandise accusation owed to solicitor/client confidentiality," she said successful an email. "I person received nary waivers from immoderate of the parties noted to talk astir their cases, nor bash I judge that it would beryllium due for maine to bash so." 

Tribunals Ontario, which includes the LTB, said it does not remark astir the idiosyncratic adjudicators it appoints, but mostly speaking, they're taxable to rigorous struggle of involvement and transgression inheritance checks and acquisition grooming astir their ethical obligations. 

"To support the spot of Ontarians, Tribunals Ontario, which includes the LTB, takes the ethical behaviour of its unit and adjudicators precise seriously," said spokesperson Veronica Spada successful an email.

Couple saved for a year to prosecute lawyer

Hrabova's location metropolis of Dnipro was pummeled with attacks erstwhile Russia invaded successful aboriginal 2022. She has epilepsy and her seizures were triggered by the accent of the war, sleepless nights and a shortage of her medication. 

"You don't cognize what you tin expect and it's truly scary erstwhile you beryllium determination connected the level and you perceive each detonation around, you consciousness the vibrations," she said. "Mentally, it was precise hard."

Watch | Russian rocket strikes Dnipro flat complex:

Fearing for her wellness and their safety, Hrabova, 29, and her fiance Lomanov, 34, moved to Canada aboriginal that twelvemonth done the peculiar impermanent visa programme for Ukrainians fleeing the war. 

Four days aft arriving successful Hamilton, they had already recovered jobs, cautiously redeeming their wealth to rebuild their beingness and enactment their families backmost home. 

It took them a twelvemonth to prevention the $2,850 they gave to Bruyn, who was recommended to them done a communal acquaintance, said Lomanov. 

But present they person to redo the PR process with a caller lawyer, said Lomanov. They've filed a ailment with the LSO, which regulates lawyers and paralegals successful Ontario, and a study with Hamilton police, who told them there's not capable grounds to prosecute a transgression investigation. 

Bruyn said she has not been contacted by the LSO astir her billing practices.

In different lawsuit filed against Bruyn by American national Sarah Arvanitis in 2023, the LSO determined determination were issues with Bruyn's "quality of service," but it didn't conscionable the barroom of nonrecreational misconduct, according the decision seen by CBC Hamilton. 

Hrabova and Lomanov are speaking retired now, they said, due to the fact that they consciousness similar they've been scammed and privation to pass others. 

They aren't the first. 

Lawyer nary longer connected ineligible assistance roster

Mauricio Fernandez Perdomo, 29, and Maria Jose Ramirez Bolanos, 28, came to Canada from Colombia successful 2022, on with their young girl and Fernandez Perdomo's brother. 

Needing to use for exile status, Fernandez Perdomo said they were connected to Bruyn done Legal Aid Ontario, a provincial bureau that covers lawyer fees for radical who can't spend them. 

After receiving each their documents, Bruyn assured them she was submitting their application, Ramirez Bolanos said. But then, silence.

Bruyn did not reply CBC Hamilton's questions astir this case, again citing lawsuit confidentiality, but denied their allegations.

"I kept penning to her, telling her we had nary effect from migration and that we were worried," Ramirez Bolanos told CBC Hamilton successful Spanish from their location successful St. Catharines, Ont. 

"And she didn't get backmost to us, she didn't reply anymore," said Fernandez Perdomo, besides speaking successful Spanish. 

Over a twelvemonth later, the mates were shocked to person a missive from the national authorities stating they would soon beryllium deported. They said they also learned nary exile exertion had ever been filed for them oregon Fernandez Perdomo's brother. 

"I felt aggravated due to the fact that we gave our anticipation [to Bruyn] that, supra all, a lawyer is the 1 who's going to assistance you," said Fernandez Perdomo.

Through a ineligible clinic, they got a caller lawyer, who was capable to halt the deportation process and record their exertion and, aft a hearing, they were granted asylum.  

"Our lives were successful information if we were deported to Colombia, but she didn't care," said Ramirez Bolanos. 

Bruyn is nary longer listed connected Legal Aid Ontario's online roster and the provincial bureau said it wasn't allowed to remark connected wherefore oregon erstwhile the alteration happened.

According to Bruyn, she resigned arsenic a ineligible assistance lawyer earlier this twelvemonth due to the fact that she is nary longer pracitsing instrumentality owed to her presumption astatine the LTB. 

Hamilton ma stuck successful U.S. for months

CBC Hamilton has reported connected 2 different cases involving Bruyn.

In March 2023, Bruyn's clients, a mates from Colombia, Andrea Pardo Rodriguez and Nelson Martinez Mora, were unexpectedly arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), separated from their girl who is unsighted and has an intelligence disability, and held successful a Toronto detention centre. 

They thought Bruyn, who was representing them done ineligible aid, had submitted their exile application. That turned retired not to beryllium the lawsuit and CBSA had grounds to deport them. A caller lawyer intervened and was capable to halt their deportation hours earlier they were expected to committee a plane. 

Then Arvanitis came guardant to CBC Hamilton astir her acquisition with Bruyn, who she besides recovered done ineligible aid.

An American citizen, Arvanitis thought Bruyn had filed her Canadian PR application, and she'd beryllium allowed to transverse the borderline some ways successful March 2023. 

But what was expected to beryllium a 1 week travel turned into a three-month ordeal erstwhile Arvanities was denied introduction backmost to Canada wherever her young girl and husband, who had wellness issues, unrecorded successful Hamilton.

From borderline officials, Arvanitis learned nary exertion had ever been submitted. When she tried to get Bruyn to assistance her instrumentality to Canada, the lawyer couldn't beryllium reached. 

"I can't adjacent picture the feeling of implicit turmoil and helplessness," Arvanitis told CBC Hamilton successful 2023. 

With the assistance of a caller lawyer, Arvanitis was granted a impermanent nonmigratory licence wrong weeks. That June, she reunited with her girl and husband, who had nary prime but to person his limb amputated portion she was gone.  

After Arvanitis went nationalist with her communicative successful August 2023, Bruyn continued to practice.

When Hrabova was trying to way down Bruyn earlier this year, she came crossed Arvanitis's story. 

"I was crying erstwhile I work the article," she said. "All the puzzle [pieces clicked]."

Law nine says nary nonrecreational misconduct

Arvanitis said she was emotionally and financially devastated from the "horrific" separation backmost successful 2023 and filed a ailment against Bruyn with the LSO. 

But aboriginal that year, the LSO closed the record aft uncovering "there was insufficient grounds of nonrecreational misconduct to enactment further action," said its decision. 

It told Arvanitis different allegations of negligence would person to beryllium addressed done the tribunal system. 

In effect to the complaint, Bruyn admitted to the LSO she should've followed up with the Canadian authorities astir whether it had received Arvanitis's imperishable residency application, said the decision. Bruyn besides said she was dilatory to respond to Arvanitis "due to an unwellness and question plans." 

LSO provided Bruyn with "regulatory guidance" and added a enactment to her file, the determination said. Arvanitis's ailment and the determination were not made public. According to the LSO website, Bruyn has ne'er been earlier a LSO tribunal oregon taxable to immoderate regulatory restrictions.

The LSO declined to remark for this communicative connected Arvanitis's ailment and the outcome, and would not accidental if it has received immoderate different complaints against Bruyn, citing confidentiality. 

Arvanitis requested LSO reappraisal its decision, but it was upheld successful January. 

"I americium satisfied that the instrumentality nine took into information that you were anxious to instrumentality to Canada and that Ms. Bruyn whitethorn person had little delays successful getting backmost to you," said the LSO successful a letter. 

"It reasonably determined that these delays were not of a grade arsenic to warrant further regulatory enactment … The rules bash not necessitate a modular of perfection of a lawyer." 

Arvanitis said passim the process with the LSO she felt similar her concerns weren't taken earnestly and she continues to propulsion the LSO to instrumentality action. 

"They treated maine similar an annoying small pest," she told CBC Hamilton this week. "But I'm not giving up due to the fact that I don't privation this to hap to different family."