Sometimes the law is just funny
[1] John Ruiz Dempsey is not a member of the Law Society of British Columbia (the “Law Society”). A self-styled “forensic litigation specialist”, he has commenced and defended, both on his own behalf and as an agent for others, a great many legal proceedings in this province. The record before the Court indicates that he has been singularly unsuccessful in these endeavours.
[2] In order to protect both the public and the integrity of the administration of justice from an individual whom it characterizes as legally incompetent and excessively litigious, the Law Society seeks the following relief….
[8] Mr. Dempsey delivered a Response to the Law Society’s petition that opposed all relief sought. He did not file any further material until the day of the hearing when he submitted an unusual document entitled “Constructive Notice of Child of God Status”. In it, Mr. Dempsey claims the status of “Child of God” with the following purported consequences:
Any person, living or artificial who wishes to claim any authority over me must first prove they exist above God; they are God; they are between me and God; or they have a document upon the face of which can be found the verifiable signature of God.
Failure to first do one of the above mentioned things means all claims to authority is abandoned or is unlawful.
Attempting to exercise any authority over me without first fulfilling one of the four above mentioned requirements is an unlawful act of fraud and/or extortion.
[9] The document is signed, witnessed and sealed with Mr. Dempsey’s thumbprint.
[16] … He declared that he had never attorned to the jurisdiction of this Court and that “whatever you decide, I’m not going to accept”.
[22] Mr. Dempsey is not, and never has been, a member of the Law Society. He states that this is so as a matter of choice. Due to what he considers the Law Society’s monopoly on the word “lawyer” and the negative regard with which lawyers are held, Mr. Dempsey has taken instead to referring to himself as a “forensic litigation specialist”. He advised the Court that he has a law degree and a degree in criminology; he also uses the designations LL.B and BSCr. on his personal website and in correspondence. There is, however, no evidence before the Court that he has had any such education or training. Documents from the Supreme Court of the Philippines and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines indicate that Mr. Dempsey has never been qualified to practice law in that country.
[77] … Mr. Dempsey is courteous, co-operative, well-spoken and well-prepared in the court room. However, he has declared that he does not consider himself bound by the rule of law. He says he is bound by natural law or a higher law… In my view, to grant him the privilege of acting as counsel before this court when he asserts that he will not adhere to statutory rules, laws or common law, is to invite chaos in this court and to risk bringing the administration of justice into disrepute.
[93] Steve Berry, a reporter for the Province newspaper, prepared an article about Ms. Parrish’s situation entitled “Client discovers man representing her ‘is not a lawyer’” which was published in late October 2004. In preparing the article, Mr. Berry interviewed Mr. Dempsey by telephone. Mr. Dempsey’s statements to Mr. Berry were set forth in the article:
“How can they say I’m not a lawyer? I have the degree. I can’t call myself a plumber.”
[105] Mr. Dempsey sent an email with wide distribution a number of days prior to the hearing of this petition encouraging his supporters to attend. It reads, in part:
Just hang in there, truth and justice will prevail. I know this will be difficult for as long as the legal industry is being run by monopolistic societies supported by corrupt politicians and judges. These corrupt entities have no power over us until we surrender it to them. They can all kiss my ass for all I’m concerned.
…. There are enough people out there who are disgusted by the nation’s legal system. These people have experienced firsthand that hiring a lawyer to fight a legal dispute is just like fighting fire with gasoline. I for one would not hire the services of a so-called practicing lawyer, even if my life depended on it.
[166] Mr. Dempsey has also initiated various other actions as set out earlier in these Reasons, though most appear to have been discontinued or remain dormant. The most recent was his November 2004 action against Mr. Berry, the Province, Canwest Global Communications and Ms. Parrish alleging defamation and unjust enrichment, and seeking aggravated damages arising from Mr. Berry’s article, “Client discovers man representing her ‘is not a lawyer’”. Whatever the merits of the claims, his identification of Ms. Parrish in the statement of claim as a “self-admitted ‘neurotic’, a welfare recipient and long time ward of the state” reveals a certain meanness of spirit. While an obvious attempt to discredit Ms. Parrish, an individual for whom he had acted until just the month before, it is also indicative of the level of outrage Mr. Dempsey feels when he considers himself to have been aggrieved. That outrage, in turn, fuels his litigious tendencies.
[181] Were Mr. Dempsey the sole victim of his lack of competence, my concerns would be rather more muted, particularly since the vexatious litigant order severely restricts his ability to appear in court on his own behalf in the absence of a legitimate claim. That others entrust their legal affairs to Mr. Dempsey is the far greater problem here.
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