Hamilton Spectator
3/14/2013
Two opticians, including one from Burlington, have launched a 1.5 million dollar lawsuit for defamation naming the Ontario College of Opticians and several members of its executive council.
The action was launched by Jay Hakim of Burlington and Chris Namvarazad of Toronto.
They had been elected to the executive council, but are no longer on the council.
The suit alleges that members of the council described the pair as "Iranian terrorists" and that their cultural backgrounds made them dangerous.
It goes on to say that college president David Milne circulated an email stating Hakim and Namvarazad had to be escorted from an executive committee meeting by security and that staff were concerned for their safety because of aggressive outbursts by the plaintiffs.
The are seeking one million dollars in general damages for defamation and a half-million in punitive damages.
The allegations contained in the statement of claim have not yet been proven in court.
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