Fasken confirmed the partner’s departure and the conclusion of the external investigation this week
Patrick Sullivan, the Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP partner who was accused on TikTok of sending a sexually explicit picture to an acquaintance without her consent, has voluntarily left the firm after an external investigation confirmed the accuser’s account of her experience.
A spokesperson for Fasken told Canadian Lawyer this week that beyond confirming the completion of the external investigation and Sullivan’s departure, the firm has no further comments on the matter.
Sullivan said his last day at the firm will be Dec. 31.
“I have recently made the decision to step down from my role to work on my health and support my family,” Sullivan said in a statement on Thursday. “As you know, I was the subject of a viral TikTok video this summer. I have not made any public comment on the video out of respect for the internal investigation process.
“Now that the process has concluded, I will share that during a major depressive episode earlier this year, I succumbed to severe alcoholism for the first time in my life and sent inappropriate social media messages, which I deeply regret, to a few individuals I do not know well,” Sullivan added.
“Regardless of my mental condition at the time, I take full responsibility for those messages and have made heartfelt apologies to the recipients wherever possible.”
A family member whom Canadian Lawyer spoke to on Thursday confirmed that Sullivan suffered a mental health crisis this year, leading to diagnoses of depressive and alcohol use disorders that arose from burnout. The family member, whom Canadian Lawyer is not identifying because they are not authorized by Sullivan to speak on his behalf, also said that Sullivan has been sober for more than 120 days after spending time at a residential care facility.
In July, Fasken retained Lisa Southern of Southern Butler Price LLP to conduct an investigation into Sullivan after a woman who identifies herself on social media as Laila Rose posted a series of viral TikToks alleging that Sullivan, whom she has known for more than a decade as an acquaintance, sent her an unsolicited explicit picture of himself. Rose has asked not to be identified by her real last name.
Since the incident, Rose has posted extensively on social media about the incident and the investigation, as well as Sullivan’s family members and Southern.
Kathryn Marshall of Marshall Law, who represents Rose, says she can confirm that multiple women had reached out to Fasken with complaints about Sullivan. The Fasken spokesperson did not respond when asked how many people have reached out to the firm with allegations about the lawyer after Rose posted her claims on TikTok.
“It was a pattern of behavior, not an isolated event,” Marshall says. “There are other victims. They’re very angry. They’re very upset.”
According to three nearly identical letters dated Nov. 13 that were obtained by Canadian Lawyer, the external investigation by Southern Butler Price LLP concluded in mid-November. The letters by Jenny Francis, managing partner for Fasken’s British Columbia region, were addressed to Rose and two other women.
“I am writing to confirm that the independent investigation conducted by Lisa’s firm concluded this week. The findings confirm the experiences that you shared,” Francis wrote in the letters.
Francis apologized for the length of the investigation process, which she said was necessary to ensure due process and Sullivan’s right to be heard. She noted that Fasken had offered counselling in relation to the incident and the investigation and that the offer was still available.
Francis also said in the letter that Sullivan wanted to offer a written apology.
But Marshall says in her view, the letters do not reflect accountability.
“Where is the responsibility? Where is the acknowledgment?” Marshall says. “To me, there’s nothing in here. [Fasken is] offering to pay for a bit of counseling, and then they’re offering an apology. Nothing.”
Marshall says she is unable to confirm at this time whether she is representing other clients in relation to Sullivan’s conduct or Fasken’s investigation.
However, she says, “We are planning on fighting for Laila and fighting for women who have been victimized by this individual.”
In July, Rose had told Canadian Lawyer of the incident, “I am a housewife, I am not a powerful person, I don’t have familial connections, I am not in a corporate world.
“I just felt that someone like me, being targeted by someone who is a partner at a law firm where you can Google his face needed to be brought into the light, as opposed to me having to suffer the trauma of having that happen to me and just stay silent.”
According to Sullivan’s family member, the “ongoing public spectacle” created by the viral TikToks has had a “devastating mental health impact” on their family, with family members being hospitalized for depression following the incident.
But Sullivan said he was grateful for the support he received from his family, friends, clients, business contacts, and colleagues as he underwent treatment for his depression and alcoholism.
“The legal profession can be very demanding, and I encourage all of my fellow members of the bar, and in particular young lawyers, to prioritize their mental health and seek support promptly if you are struggling,” he said.
“Despite the recent challenges, I remain passionate about the practice of law and my work in the mining industry,” he added. “While I am currently focused on my recovery, I look forward to starting a new chapter in 2026.”
Sullivan joined Fasken’s global mining, capital markets and M&A group in May, and went on leave after Rose’s TikToks went viral. He previously spent nearly a decade at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP.
Rose previously told Canadian Lawyer she filed a complaint about Sullivan with the Law Society of British Columbia. A spokesperson for the LSBC said this week that the investigation is ongoing.
Originally published by Canadian Lawyer: https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/news/general/fasken-partner-voluntarily-departs-firm-following-investigation-into-viral-tiktok-allegations/393431