July 2012
City grant recipient still owes sex assault victim
Excerpt from The Hamilton Spectator:
Convicted sex offender Denis Vranich — who also received a $932,500 conditional loan from the city — is paying his debt to his victim so slowly, it will be 60 years before the young woman collects the full amount she is entitled to for the costs of therapy and lost earnings.
“The sexual assault changed the whole course of her life,” says her lawyer, Rob Hooper. “From her perspective, it’s upsetting to see he can carry on. That this guy can still appear at City Hall and gain money and she’s had to re-engineer her whole life over this.
“If a developer is on the sexual assault registry, they should be denied money from the city.”
Though a civil court judge ordered Vranich to pay his victim $300,403 in a precedent-setting judgment in January 2011, the well-known businessman has paid less than $50,000. Immediately after the judgment was handed down by Justice Alan Whitten, Vranich made a lump-sum payment of $25,000. Since then, he has paid $500 per month. With pre- and post judgment interest, the amount he now owes has grown to $340,000, says Hooper.
Hooper Law lawyers are one of the only firms in the Hamilton area tackling sexual assault civil cases. If you’ve been assaulted, talk to one of our sexual assault lawyers in Hamilton to learn what is involved and how we can help you.
For a free consultation with our personal injury lawyers, please contact us today. We will answer your questions and help you understand what’s involved in the process. Consultations can be in person, by phone or by video call. Our office is in Hamilton Ontario and we provide services throughout Southern Ontario.
Fill out the Contact Form or:
Call us at the
fightforyou help-line:
905-522-8002
Email us directly at: fightforyou@hooperlaw.ca
We will contact you within 1 business day. All your information will be kept strictly confidential and only used to brief us on your situation before we call you.
Our offices are centrally located in downtown Hamilton, comfortable, wheelchair friendly and with free parking. If you cannot make it to our office, we will come to your home, hospital or any other location that is convenient for you.