Law firm Fasken investigating partner after woman's viral TikTok alleged he sent explicit photo

Globe and Mail

a day ago

Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP has launched an investigation into allegations that one of the firm's mining partners sent a woman an unsolicited, explicit photo over social media.
The allegations went viral this week after the woman posted about the alleged incident on TikTok. The clip has since been viewed more than two million times.
The partner is now on a leave of absence and has been since Tuesday, Fasken spokesperson Stephanie Weinstein told The Globe and Mail.
After receiving a complaint, the firm hired Lisa Southern, a lawyer and seasoned workplace investigator, to lead the external probe of the allegation, Ms. Weinstein added. Ms. Southern currently serves as the City of Vancouver's Integrity Commissioner.
'The allegations are distressing and the conduct described is unacceptable. We are taking this matter very seriously,' Ms. Weinstein said.
The Law Society of British Columbia is also looking into the alleged incident after receiving a complaint, it said in an e-mailed statement.
The Globe sent the Fasken partner who is the subject of the complaint – lawyer Patrick Sullivan –multiple requests for comment and did not receive a response. An automatic reply from his Fasken e-mail address describes him as being on a medical leave.
A family member reached by The Globe said Mr. Sullivan has suffered from mental-health and alcohol issues and will be entering treatment. The Globe is not identifying the family member because they are not authorized to speak publicly on Mr. Sullivan's behalf.
According to Mr. Sullivan's LinkedIn profile, he has been at Fasken since May, 2025, where he is a member of the firm's global mining and capital markets and mergers and acquisitions groups.
Earlier this week, a woman posted a video on TikTok alleging that Mr. Sullivan had sent her an 'unwanted' photo of his penis early Saturday morning. In the 30-second clip, she included a screenshot of Mr. Sullivan's Fasken profile.
In an interview with The Globe, the woman – who goes by Laila Rose online, but did not want to be identified by her full name – said she has known Mr. Sullivan for 15 years, though they have never been close.
They met when she was 19 through an ex-boyfriend and interacted at times at a club where she bartended. Through the years, they have occasionally chatted on Facebook Messenger, she said, including some recent conversations about politics.
Then, last Friday, Mr. Sullivan sent her a suggestive message, which she didn't see at the time, the woman alleged. The next morning at 5:34 a.m., she alleges, he sent her a photo of his penis along with the message: 'so I guess the liberal' guys are 'dead to' you. (The Globe reviewed screenshots of these conversations.)
The woman said that when she saw the photo, she became furious and distraught. She has been sexually assaulted in the past, she said, and found the photograph triggering.
She then sent him a long message, berating him about the photo, but he did not respond, she said.
On Monday, she reached out to Fasken. When they didn't immediately respond, the woman said, she decided to go public. (Fasken said they hired Ms. Southern, the third-party investigator, the same day that they received the complaint.)
The woman said she made the decision to post on TikTok because she was worried her complaint was being ignored and wanted accountability. She said she is not looking for any financial compensation.
The woman said she did try to report the incident to the RCMP, but was told that sending a single unsolicited photo of genitals is not typically a crime in Canada.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark told The Globe that – as is customary – he can not confirm or deny the existence of any complaint filed with the service.
Staff Sgt. Clark said that sending a single inappropriate telecommunication could potentially constitute the offence of indecent communications, depending on the evidence. If the communications persisted after someone has asked it to stop, Staff Sgt. Clark said, there could be a case for criminal harassment or harassing communications.