TORONTO – Ontario’s human rights tribunal says a man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old intern at his tattoo parlour must now pay her $75,000 in compensation.
The incident took place in 2014, when the teen was working her first job at the man’s now-shuttered Toronto business.
The tribunal said the teen was the daughter of the man’s wife’s best friend and was taking what she hoped would be the first steps toward a career as a tattoo artist.
The teen pursued compensation through the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario after the man pleaded guilty to three criminal charges, including sexual assault. The names of the teen and the man are protected by a publication ban.
In a decision dated Feb. 26 but released on Monday, tribunal adjudicator Maureen Doyle ordered the man to pay the teen $75,000 as compensation for “injury to dignity, feelings and self-respect.”
The teen says the tribunal’s decision sets a precedent that bodes well for future survivors of sexual assault.