A woman who sabotaged her boyfriend鈥檚 highly coveted career opportunity apparently because she feared he would leave her for the United States has been ordered to pay him $350,000 in damages.
In a decision this week, an Ontario Superior Court justice lambasted Jennifer Lee for 鈥渄espicable conduct鈥� that harmed Eric Abramovitz, an aspiring professional musician in his 20s.
Court records show Lee and Abramovitz were students at the Schulich School of Music at Montreal鈥檚 McGill University in 2013 when they began an intimate relationship, and he all but moved in to her apartment. She had full access to his laptop, the records show.
A multiple award-winning clarinetist, Abramovitz applied in December 2013 to study at the prestigious Coburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles under Yehuda Gilad, an internationally renowned clarinet teacher. Although Gilad only accepts two clarinet students a year, Abramovitz made the cut after a rigorous screening and auditioning process, court records show.
In March 2014, the school emailed Abramovitz to say he had been accepted, an offer that carried with it a full two-year scholarship and stipend. Except he never saw the email, court records show.
Lee intercepted and deleted the acceptance and, pretending to be him, declined the offer because he would be 鈥渆lsewhere,鈥� according to the court.
She also went a step further by composing and sending an email to Abramovitz 鈥� purportedly from Gilad 鈥� using an email address she created, giladyehuda09@gmail.com, to inform him that he had not been accepted at Coburn, the court said.
鈥淎bramovitz was completely taken in by this deception,鈥� Justice David Corbett wrote. 鈥淎s a consequence, Mr. Abramovitz lost the two year full-scholarship opportunity to study with Mr. Gilad.鈥�
A year later, after his relationship with Lee had ended, Abramovitz was performing for Gilad again and it began to dawn on him something had been amiss. When he finally figured out what had happened, he sued Lee in August 2016. He claimed damages for her deceit, invasion of his privacy, and intentional or negligent infliction of mental suffering.
Her acts, he claimed, had damaged his reputation, cost him an educational opportunity, and delayed his career advancement thereby costing him lost income.
In a sworn affidavit filed with the court, Gilad denounced what had happened to Abramovitz, who now lives in Nashville but will join the Toronto Symphony Orchestra later this year.
鈥淚 am very frustrated that a highly talented musician like Eric was the victim of such an unthinkable, immoral act that delayed his progress and advancement as an up-and-coming young musician and delayed his embarking on a most promising career,鈥� Gilad said.
Lee, who lives in Toronto, never responded to the lawsuit or defended herself, leading Corbett to find her liable by default. Corbett said it appeared her motivation was to ensure Abramovitz would stay in Montreal and remain in their relationship.
In awarding $300,000 to Abramovitz in general damages and another $50,000 in punitive and aggravated damages, Corbett described Lee鈥檚 behaviour as a 鈥渞eprehensible betrayal鈥� of her boyfriend鈥檚 trust and an 鈥渦nthinkable, immoral act.鈥�
鈥淭his was despicable conduct by Ms. Lee,鈥� Corbett said in his judgment.
While the punitive damages were modest, Corbett called it a symbolic award that should be taken as 鈥渧ery strong condemnation of morally reprehensible conduct.鈥� The aggravated damages were partial compensation for the loss Abramovitz suffered by having a 鈥渃losely held personal dream snatched from him by a person he trusted,鈥� Corbett said.
Corbett also ordered Lee, who could not immediately be reached for comment, to pay him $25,000 to cover his legal fees.
Marshall Reinhart, Abramovitz鈥檚 lawyer, said in an interview that they now faced the task of collecting on the judgment.
鈥淢y client should be compensated for his loss,鈥� Reinhart said. 鈥淚t was an extreme case of betrayal of trust in addition to what he lost financially.鈥�
Colin Perkel, The Canadian Press
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