Kenneth Law who 'sold suicide poison' facing £1.1 million legal action

Canadian chef Kenneth Law who allegedly sold suicide poison linked to dozens of deaths including 97 in Britain is facing £1.1million legal action.

The parents of Canadian Jeshennia Bedoya Lopez, who was 18 when she died by suicide, are suing Law and the hospital where their daughter was treated for her mental health issues, the Times reports.

The so-called merchant of death - who denies the alleged criminal behaviour - is reportedly linked to the deaths of 131 worldwide, including the 97 in Britain, and is facing 14 first-degree murder charges. 

Lopez' parents, from Aurora, Ontario, have now filed a civil case against him, alleging that he used an online shop to sell a poison to their daughter, which she took in September 2022.

'Law operated this online store with the primary intent of assisting, luring and/or enabling suicide to vulnerable individuals such as Jeshennia,' the lawsuit states.

Law, 59, was originally charged with 14 counts of second degree murder in December after he allegedly sold 1,200 packages of lethal substances on the internet to people in 40 countries between late 2020 and April 2023.

But his lawyer, Matthew Gourlay, confirmed in January that the charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder. 

The teen's mother, Maria Lopez, said earlier this year that she hopes 'the person who caused all this' is punished by authorities.

'We're not going to be able to recover because we're not going to be able to bring her back,' she added.

Father Leonardo Bedoya said about his daughter, who had dreamt of being a police officer: 'We've always been a very close family. Her loss has hit us very hard,' Canadian broadcaster CBC reports. 

Lopez' parents are seeking damages not just from Law, but also from the hospital in Newmarket, Ontario, where their daughter was treated for her mental health problems, with the parents naming seven doctors in their suit.

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The parents claim the doctors failed to provide reasonable care 'to prevent [her] loss of life' after she reported poor mental health and thoughts of suicide in 2020 and again in 2022, according to CBC.

The case was filed in a Canadian court on September 10, exactly two years after Lopez' death.

Law's lawyer has declined to comment on the lawsuit launched by Lopez' parents and no statement of defence has been filed so far. 

A spokesperson for the hospital told CBC: 'Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Jeshennia Bedoya Lopez. 

'While we cannot comment on specifics due to privacy concerns, patient care remains our top priority at Southlake.'

Law was arrested in Ontario, US, in May last year and was initially charged with two counts of counselling and aiding suicide. In August 2023, he received a further 12 charges of counselling or aiding suicide. 

Outside Canada, the National Crime Agency said it launched its own probe into the deaths of 97 people in the UK who bought substances online to assist with suicide.

In total, 288 individuals in the UK were identified as allegedly having purchased products from the websites over a two-year period up to April 2023.

Initially the NCA said it had only identified 272 individuals, of which 88 had died, however they have since increased their estimates. 

CBC suggested the products Law is alleged to have sold on his website could be linked to 131 deaths based on official statements, public records and interviews with families.

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Law's lawyer said that the chef will deny the charges. His trial is scheduled for next year. 

Law is accused of setting up an account on the forum and naming himself 'Greenberg,' then posing as a retired New York medical examiner. 

According to a previous report from The Times, four relatives of those who were sold poison by Law had made contact with the mysterious Greenberg online. 

In Britain, Tom Parfett, 22, Michael Dunham, 38, Neha Raju, 23, Imogen Nunn, 25, and a 21-year-old student allegedly died after buying products from Law's company. 

The father of Berkshire-born Tom said: 'I believe my son would still be alive if it wasn't for this man and this substance.' 

Anthony Jones, a 17-year-old from Michigan, was also one of Law's alleged victims.

'It was 3 a.m. and he went running into his mom's room, screaming and begging to call emergency responders,' New York lawyer Carrie Goldberg told CTV News Toronto.

He ran to his mother shouting 'I want to live' after ingesting the substance, which eventually killed him, the initial investigation revealed.

One person who survived ingesting poison, Emma Morrison, 23, from Scotland, said that the Greenberg character gave her the chef's website address three times. 

Morrison told The Times: 'He wanted to know when it arrived and when I'd taken it.' She told the newspaper that she survived after being rushed to hospital and was given the antidote. 

'I think Greenberg and Law are the same person,' she added. 

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Since taking the poison in August 2021, Morrison said that her mental health is getting better and that she's no longer active on the forum. 

The Times goes on to report that Law's website became active on the same day that Greenberg posted about it on the forum.

'I came across a new source in Canada. PM (personal message) me if you like the link,' Greenberg wrote. 

Greenberg allegedly shared similar interests to Law, including food and Star Trek. He and Law also used the same sign off in online messages, 'Cheers.'

Law denied The Times' allegation in 2023 and told CBC that the allegations have 'been very, very distressing for me'.

Law's alleged victims included teenagers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.

A mother whose 20-year-old daughter was also poisoned after she bought a substance from Law told police about him months before he was charged.

The woman, who has not been named, emailed the Metropolitan Police's chemical reporting team in August 2021 after her daughter bought a lethal substance from Law and took her own life, according to The Times.

The mother, who was reportedly told by the Met that they would alert the Home Office, criticised the force. She told The Times: 'I'm disgusted that they did not take this further. They didn't do anything and more people died. It's a sham.'

The woman said her daughter allegedly bought a substance from Law a month before her death on July 15, 2021.

She even messaged the chef himself following her death and pleaded with him to stop selling the lethal substance.

The mother then emailed the chemical reporting team, a Met counter-terrorism unit, on August 17, telling them that her daughter had taken a substance from Law's company.

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Her email said: 'I would be grateful if you could please stop this substance from getting past customs and into the country, especially in large amounts and especially to individuals who don't own a company dealing with food.

'I cannot tell you how heartbroken I am that my 20-year-old daughter has passed away because of the easiness of being able to get this substance.

'I would hate anyone else to suffer the pain I am suffering.'

The unit replied saying that they were 'aware of similar tragic circumstances' surrounding the substance. However, they added that it was legal to buy in the UK.

It said that it would pass the mother's email 'onto the relevant team at the Home Office' and highlighted it was 'taking the issue...very seriously'.

Law, from Mississauga, Ontario, is also being investigated by police in the US, Italy, Australia and New Zealand.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details.