Columbia, according to expert testimony heard by the Law Society's hearing panel, "litigants are not entitled to compel testimony from a third party prior to trial without a court order nor to compel the production of documents from a third party prior to trial or from a third party not called on a trial without a court order." The Law Society hearing panel found that some of Christie's testimony in his own defence was not believable. The panel found that Christie's conduct was dishonourable, and that in his zeal to pursue the case on behalf of his clients, Christie had overlooked his professional responsibilities. On 17 December 2007, the Law Society's panel gave its decision on the penalty to be imposed on Christie. The panel noted that prior to this incident, Christie's professional conduct record had been unblemished for over 30 years. The panel accepted that Christie's professional misconduct arose out of stress and an excessive zeal to help his client, rather than a desire for personal gain. The panel therefore imposed a fine on Christie of $2,500. The panel ordinarily would have ordered Christie to pay the Law Society's costs and expenses of the hearing, which in this case amounted to approximately $50,000. However, the panel had evidence that Christie's annual income over the past five years had averaged slightly over $50,000 net before tax. Therefore, the panel required Christie to pay $20,000 in respect of costs, rather than the full amount. Death Christie was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011 and died of metastatic liver disease in Victoria's Royal Jubilee Hospital in 2013. Electoral record References External links Western Block Party official site Western Canada Concept official site 1946 births 2013 deaths British Columbia political party leaders British Columbia candidates for Member of Parliament Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Candidates in British Columbia provincial elections Candidates in the 2006 Canadian federal election Deaths from liver cancer Independent candidates in the 1988 Canadian federal election Lawyers in British Columbia Politicians from Victoria, British Columbia Politicians from Winnipeg Western Canada Concept politicians Peter A. Allard School of Law alumni Western Canadian separatists