80-year-old Clayton Charles Ruby was a renowned Canadian lawyer and activist who recently passed away on August 2, 2022.
Ruby was known for his specialization in constitutional and criminal law and civil rights. One of his most prominent roles was as the 60th Treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada, a role he unceremoniously lost in a surprise special election.
| 80 |
| $5 Million |
| Lawyer |
| Canadian |
| Harriet Sachs |
| 2 |
| 2 |
Born in Toronto, Ontario, on February 6, 1942, Ruby honed his skills through ten years of intensive study in higher education. Ruby first earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from York University in 1963 and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the Univerity of Toronto in 1969.
He was called to the bar in the same year. Ruby rounded out his education by traveling to the United States and getting a master of Laws from the University of California, Berkeley.
Ruby’s career began in earnest in 1976 when he became a partner with the law firm Ruby & Edwardh with Marlys Edwardh, the first woman to practice criminal law in Canada. He would be in this law firm till 2008, after which he became a partner with the Ruby Schiller Chan Hasan firm based in Toronto, Ontario.
In 2006, Clayton Ruby became a member of the Order of Canada.
Who Is Harriet Sachs? Wife Of Clayton Ruby
Clayton Ruby was married to Madam Justice Harriet Sachs of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.
Though their marriage date is not public, Sachs and Ruby were married for their entire lives, and Ruby has often been described as a family-oriented man who loved his wife and his children. The couple had two children, daughters named Emma and Kate, and two grandchildren.
One of Ruby’s two daughters, Emma, works as part of the Board of Directors and Executive Director of SumOfUs, a global no-profit advocacy organization that campaigns to hold corporations accountable on various human rights and environmental issues, chiefly climate change, worker’s rights, discrimination, and corruption among others.
Emma is also the author of a literary novel set in South Africa called The Waterman’s daughter, which was published in 2011.
Before the SumofUs, Emma worked as the Deputy Director at Avaaz, where she practiced constitutional appellate law and administrative law, much like her father worked on wrongful arrest and wrongful conviction issues in Canada.
Emma is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She is currently based in Chicago, Illinois, where she lives with her partner, Jane Saks, and their daughter.
The other daughter, Kate Best, works as a Senior Addictions Counsellor at GreeneStone Toronto, an outpatient substance abuse treatment clinic where she works with adults, adolescents, and families.
She graduated from Metropolitan Preparatory Academy and followed that up with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Linguistics from McGill University in 2007 and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in 2011.
What Is Clayton Ruby’s Cause Of Death?
It has been disclosed by official sources close to the family that Clayton Ruby died on August 2, 2022, at 80, from natural causes.
Ruby’s death caused a stir in the Canadian legal world as, despite his age, Ruby seemed like he was never going to die.
Described by Brian Shiller, his long-time friend, and law firm partner, as a giant in the legal field, who stayed at the top of his game for more than 50 years, news of Ruby’s death has caused an outpouring of condolences and tributes all over social media.
He is remembered for being a part of many high-profile cases.
Starting from 1991, when Ruby was part of the legal team that the Church of Scientology used to defend itself after nine members were on trial for stealing documents from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.
The most memorable of his cases was when he helped exonerate Guy Paul Morin, who had been wrongfully convicted of nine-year-old Christine Jessop’s rape and murder in October 1984.
He is also beloved for his fight for the rights of the LGBTQ people in Canada, an example of which is when he took on the federal government by defending Michelle Douglas, who was dismissed from the Canadian Forces in 1989 for her sexual orientation.
The Douglas lawsuit was instrumental in causing the end of the military’s discriminatory policy against the LGBTQ+.
Clayton Ruby Net Worth
Clayton Ruby had an estimated net worth of $5 million at the time of his passing.
As a celebrated lawyer in many high-profile cases, his net worth is no surprise and reflects his illustrious career well. Ruby’s legacy is secure not only because of his career inside the courtroom but outside of it as well, and suffice it to say, his activism has earned him as much for his legacy as his legal endeavors.
Ruby is survived by his loving wife, children, and grandchildren and by a grateful nation. He will be remembered and celebrated for years to come.