Toronto dentist expected to lose licence after having sex with patient, fathering her child

UPDATE:On May 9, 2023, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario officially revoked Amir Haydarian's licence. He was ordered to pay $218,155 to to cover a portion of the regulator's legal fees, as well as costs related to the victim's counselling. Haydarian is appealing the decision.

An uptown Toronto dentist is expected tohave his licence revokedforallegedly gettinginto atwo-year extramarital affairwith a woman soon after she became his patient, and havinga child with her somethinga disciplinary panel with his professional college has called "sexual abuse."

In a decision issued in January, thepanelwith the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario(RCDSO) found that conduct would be considered "disgraceful, dishonourable, unethical or unprofessional" by others in the profession. Now, the case is moving to a penalty phase where"revocation of registration is mandatory" for Dr. Amir Haydarian, based on the findings of the disciplinary panel.

Until that decision is made, he can continue to see patients. However, the college says Haydarian has not been practising and his legal team says he will not until this matter is resolved.Through a statement from his lawyer to CBC News, Haydarian said he plans to appeal the decision.

His dental practice has also now been sold to another dentist who is not involved in the matter before the regulator.

The disciplinary hearings began in January 2022over allegations he had engaged in a sexual relationship with a patient, and that he'd loaned money to a second patient. Both acts were alleged by the college to be in violation of provincial law and professional rules.

The first patient, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, testified to the disciplinary panel that Haydarian, 57, used patient records to find her cellphoneand invited her to visit his farm. When she would visit him for treatment, she said, he would play love songs in Farsi and would touch her face and breasts.

Later in the relationship, she told the panel, they would meet for sexual intercourse in the apartment above the dental office in North Toronto.

According to provincial law, dentists are strictly forbidden from engaging in any kind of sexual relations with any patientwho is not their spouse.

Marriage a key issue for the regulator

Both the dentist and the patient acknowledged they engaged ina sexual relationship. At issue was whetherHaydarian was married at the time and to whom.

The panel heard when the dentist met the woman in question, he was married to another woman. Haydarianclaims to have divorced the first woman in a ceremony-by-proxy in Iran, in which the wife need not be present or even notified, where only his brother was in attendance. Haydarian also claimed to have, just hours after the divorce was granted, entered into a marriage with the woman who was his patient.

She deniedever marrying himand the panel found in her favour in its final decision.

Therefore, it deemed he was married to the original woman, and thus in an extramarital sexual affair with a patient or, as the panel put it, he "sexually abused a patient."

Haydarian's lawyer, Symon Zucker,told CBC Newshis client is distressed by the decision and "had both a Muslim divorce and entered into Muslim marriage recognized by Muslim law" and believed both were legitimate.

Sexual assault charges previously withdrawn

Haydarian had also been charged criminally on June 26, 2020with five counts of assault; one count of uttering a death threat; four counts of sexual assault; and four counts of sexual interference (a charge that applies in cases where the victim is under the age of 16). He was subsequently charged with an additional count of sexual assault on July 21, 2020.

But that case collapsed on June 9, 2022, when the assistant Crown attorney told the Ontario Court of Justice she "had serious concerns with the credibility of the main complainant."

The Crown made thedecision following a five-day preliminary hearing in January 2022, which included testimony from three witnesses. The charges were subsequently withdrawn.

However, the RCDSO disciplinary process, where considerations are different from criminal cases, continued.For instance, even if a patient of a dentist consents to sex, it is still forbidden under rules established by the college.

In the intervening three years, Haydarian had been allowed to continue to practise but with restrictions requiring that he be supervised at all times and not treat children.

Those restrictions remain in effect.

Another patient comes forward

The disciplinary panel met on three occasions throughout 2022, with the patient testifying she was confused by Haydarian's behaviour, as she understood that he was married with four children.

But, as it progressed, she says she did decide to accept his proposal for marriage because he seemed to be a "good package."However, she insisted to the panel no marriage ever took place.

Meanwhile, the College panel also concluded that Haydarian crossed the patient/dentist boundary by entering into a financial relationship with another patient.

That case involved his decision to co-sign a mortgage for a patient, which the college alleges is an impermissible act.

Haydarian testified that he asked the second patient what was causing her stress, since it was clear to him that she was grinding her teeth. He eventually learned from her mother who was also his patient that she was having financial issues and that needed a guarantor for her mortgage. On September 30, 2011, he guaranteed the loan for $475,000.

Haydarian testified he knew what it was like to be a newcomer and to struggle to get one's footing.

He told the panel he now understands his act did cross a boundaryand that he would not do it again, in future; that he now understands that his conduct constitutes a breach of the college's Prevention of Sexual Abuse and Boundary Violations Practice Advisory.

It is now left to an independent panel of the college's discipline committee to determine what penalty Haydarian should face.

It is required to revoke his registration, whichwould remove his ability to practise dentistry in Ontario.