Luisa J. Ritacca

The Member faced allegations of professional misconduct for practising nursing while her certificate of registration was suspended and for making false statements on her annual renewal form.

The matter proceeded by way of an Agreed Statement of Facts and a Joint Submission on Order.

The Discipline Committee found that the Member committed professional misconduct, noting her persistent disregard for the regulatory process.

The Committee accepted the joint submission, ordering an oral reprimand and the immediate revocation of the Member's certificate of registration.

Gabriella Sasso and Ronald Adams appealed Notices of Proposed Orders of Suspension and fines issued by the Director for violating 'hidden trainer' rules by associating with a suspended trainer.

The Ontario Racing Commission panel found clear, cogent, and compelling evidence that the suspended trainer was improperly involved in their business.

However, the panel concluded the proposed penalties were too severe, as the appellants had been taken advantage of by the suspended trainer.

The panel allowed the appeal in part, reducing Sasso's suspension to six months and fine to $2,000, and Adams's suspension to eight months and fine to $5,000.

The panel also ordered the release of frozen purse monies to the owners and drivers.

The successful plaintiffs brought a motion seeking payment of approximately $1 million held by the Accountant of the Superior Court of Justice to partially satisfy their judgment.

The defendant opposed the motion, arguing that his law firm was entitled to a priority charge on the funds for $825,000 in unpaid legal fees pursuant to s. 34(1) of the Solicitor's Act.

The Court of Appeal dismissed the defendant's arguments, finding that the funds were not preserved through the instrumentality of the law firm and that the equities overwhelmingly favoured the plaintiffs.

The motion was allowed and the funds were ordered released to the plaintiffs.

The Member, a Nurse Practitioner, admitted to professional misconduct for failing to participate in the College's Quality Assurance program, prescribing testosterone (a controlled substance) without authorization, and failing to document her assessment and treatment of two clients.

The Discipline Committee accepted the Agreed Statement of Facts and found the Member committed professional misconduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a three-month suspension, and terms and conditions including meetings with a nursing expert, a mentorship arrangement, and mandatory participation in the Quality Assurance program.

The Member's subsequent appeal to the Divisional Court was dismissed.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for multiple allegations of professional misconduct, including patient abuse, unauthorized use of restraints, and falsifying medical records in a psychiatric intensive care unit.

The discipline panel found that the nurse confined a vulnerable patient without clinical justification, applied five-point restraints inappropriately, failed to monitor the patient, used abusive language, and falsified the patient's chart to justify her actions.

The panel concluded that the nurse's actions constituted professional misconduct, abuse, and disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

As the nurse had already resigned her certificate of registration, the panel noted that revocation would have been the appropriate penalty.

The College of Nurses of Ontario alleged that the Member, a Registered Nurse, committed professional misconduct by elbowing an elderly, combative client in the face.

The allegations rested primarily on the testimony of a Personal Support Worker who claimed to have witnessed the incident.

The Discipline Committee assessed the credibility of the witnesses and preferred the evidence of the Member, finding the PSW's testimony inconsistent and the mechanics of the alleged strike physically improbable.

The panel concluded that the College failed to prove the allegations on a balance of probabilities and dismissed all charges.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a registered nurse for sexually abusing a vulnerable, intoxicated client in the emergency department.

The client alleged the nurse placed the client's hand on his penis and masturbated while the client was incapacitated.

The panel found the client's testimony highly credible and corroborated by security video footage, which contradicted the nurse's alternative explanation.

The panel concluded the nurse committed professional misconduct, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and engaged in disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional conduct.

Following the dismissal of the plaintiffs' motion for leave to appeal a security for costs order, the defendants sought costs.

The plaintiffs argued costs should be reserved to the trial judge.

The court rejected this argument, noting this was a second attempt to appeal the security for costs order and warranted cost consequences.

The court awarded costs of $2,500 to each of the two responding defendants.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought allegations of professional misconduct against the respondent nurse for practicing while suspended and failing to comply with a 2012 Discipline Committee order.

The respondent did not attend the hearing.

The panel found the respondent ungovernable, noting she had breached all terms of the prior order, deceived employers, and continued to work while suspended.

The panel ordered the immediate revocation of the respondent's certificate of registration, to take effect if she ever successfully applies for reinstatement of her administratively revoked certificate.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a member who continued to practise nursing after voluntarily surrendering her certificate of registration.

The member used a different name, falsified annual payment cards, and misled her employers about her registration status.

She was also criminally convicted of theft, fraud, and failing to comply with an undertaking.

The Discipline Committee found the member committed professional misconduct, noting her actions were disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional.

The Committee revoked her certificate of registration and ordered an oral reprimand.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought allegations of professional misconduct against the respondent, a Registered Practical Nurse, for criminal convictions including theft, forgery, and impaired driving, as well as for exploiting vulnerable clients.

The respondent was found to have misappropriated property, breached therapeutic boundaries, and engaged in disgraceful and dishonourable conduct.

The Discipline Committee found all allegations proven and ordered the revocation of the respondent's certificate of registration.

The Member, an audiologist, faced allegations of professional misconduct for prescribing hearing aids without being involved in patient assessment, selection, or validation, and for failing to keep adequate records.

The Member admitted to the allegations and an Agreed Statement of Facts was presented.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a one-month remitted suspension, remedial education, random audits for two years, and $4,000 in costs.

The Member, an audiologist, faced allegations of professional misconduct for prescribing hearing aids without being involved in patient assessment, selection, or validation, and for failing to keep adequate records.

The Member admitted to the allegations and an Agreed Statement of Facts was presented.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct.

Accepting a joint submission on penalty, the Committee ordered a reprimand, a one-month remitted suspension, remedial education, random audits for two years, and $4,000 in costs.

The Member faced allegations of professional misconduct including soliciting money from vulnerable clients, failing to administer medications while charting that they were given, and practising and using the title of Registered Practical Nurse while her certificate of registration was suspended.

The Member admitted to the allegations.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct that was disgraceful, dishonourable, and unprofessional.

The Committee accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a six-month suspension, and various conditions on her certificate, but declined to order financial restitution to a client, finding it lacked jurisdiction under the Regulated Health Professions Act to do so.

The plaintiffs sought leave to appeal an order upholding a Master's decision requiring them to post further security for costs.

The plaintiffs, who were non-residents and not impecunious, argued the judge misapplied the 'good chance of success' test by conflating it with the summary judgment test and failing to define it.

The Divisional Court dismissed the motion for leave to appeal, finding no reason to doubt the correctness of the order and holding that the Master and the appeal judge had properly applied the established legal test.

The member faced a disciplinary hearing after being found guilty of criminal fraud over $5,000 for improperly using her employer's corporate credit card to defraud them of approximately $30,000.

The member admitted to the allegations of professional misconduct.

The Discipline Committee accepted the joint submission on penalty and ordered the revocation of the member's certificate of registration, emphasizing the need for specific and general deterrence for breaches of trust.

The member brought a pre-hearing motion seeking to sever allegations 1 to 4 from allegations 5 to 9, which involved separate incidents of alleged sexual abuse of two different clients in an emergency department.

The member argued that hearing the allegations together would risk credibility cross-pollination and prejudice the right to a fair hearing.

The Discipline Committee applied the factors from R. v. Last and found a lack of legal and factual nexus between the allegations, a high risk of prejudice, and the potential for distinctly different defences.

The motion was granted, and the allegations were ordered to be heard by separate panels.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against the Member for failing to report findings of professional misconduct made against her by the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA).

The Member had been disciplined in Alberta for theft and falsification of records, but failed to disclose these proceedings on her Ontario annual renewal form.

The Discipline Committee found the Member guilty of professional misconduct, noting that the obligation to self-report continues even while a certificate of registration is suspended.

The Committee ordered a five-month suspension to commence upon any future reinstatement, along with strict monitoring conditions.

The College of Nurses of Ontario brought disciplinary proceedings against a Registered Practical Nurse who pled guilty to criminal charges for stealing money from a vulnerable client's purse.

The Discipline Committee found the nurse committed professional misconduct.

The Committee ordered a reprimand, a four-month suspension of her certificate of registration, and imposed terms, conditions, and limitations on her practice, including a 12-month restriction on practicing independently in the community.

The Member, a registered nurse, faced allegations of professional misconduct relating to her employment at two facilities.

The allegations included speaking to clients in a rude and condescending manner, administering an excessively hot enema, refusing client assignments, abandoning a shift without arranging replacement services, falsifying observation records, and providing her computer access code to an unregulated care provider.

The Member admitted to the allegations through an Agreed Statement of Facts.

The Discipline Committee found the Member committed professional misconduct and accepted a joint submission on penalty, ordering a reprimand, a six-month suspension, and terms, conditions, and limitations on her certificate of registration.