Alex Chapman is hoping to convince Winnipeg lawyer Jack King to drop a lawsuit for invasion of privacy. (CBC)

The man at the centre of a Manitoba controversy involving a judge and a Winnipeg lawyer says he has returned $25,000 he was paid as part of a confidentiality agreement.

Alex Chapman told CBC News he returned the money because of his recent decision to breach a 2003 agreement he signed with lawyer Jack King.

The agreement was reached after Chapman filed a harassment complaint with the managing partners at King's law firm, Thompson Dorfman Sweatman. Chapman alleged King, who was his divorce lawyer, had harassed him.

Chapman claimed King tried to get him to have sex with Lori Douglas, who was then a Winnipeg lawyer. Chapman was shown sexually explicit nude photos of Douglas, King's wife, in various forms of bondage, in chains, with sex toys and performing oral sex.

Lori Douglas has temporarily stepped aside from her duties as a sitting judge. (CBC)

At some point, King also mentioned a porn website devoted to interracial sex, particularly between black men and white women.

King indicated he wanted Chapman, who is black, to have sex with Douglas.

Soon after Chapman filed his complaint with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, King left the law firm.

He also negotiated the confidentiality agreement with Chapman.

As part of that agreement, Chapman promised not to take legal action against King or the firm.

Winnipeg lawyer Jack King is being sued by Chapman for harassment. (CBC)

Chapman was also required to not speak about the matter and to destroy all emails, photos and other materials sent to him by King.

Chapman kept the material but after seven years of silence, decided to go public with his allegations at the end of August, telling CBC News he felt distraught about the matter.

He had earlier, in July, filed a complaint about Douglas with the Canadian Judicial Council, as well as a complaint about King with the Manitoba Law Society.

On Sept. 1, he filed separate lawsuits against King for $10 million and against Douglas for $7 million. He also filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million from Thompson Dorfman Sweatman, the company King and Douglas worked for in 2003.

Douglas, who is now an associate chief justice of the Manitoba Court of Queen's Bench, has temporarily stepped aside from her duties as a sitting judge but remains with the court in an administrative capacity.

Statements of defence have not yet been filed by any of the defendants.

Cheque comes with conditions

As a result of Chapman providing the pictures to other individuals, King has filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy.

Chapman is hoping King will drop that lawsuit now that he has cut a cheque to return the $25,000.

The cheque was provided to King's lawyer, Bill Gange, with two conditions:

• That King discontinue all legal actions against Chapman.
• That King commit to not launch any other actions related to the confidentiality deal in the future.

Chapman is waiting to hear if King accepts the proposed conditions.

'There's a lot of wrongdoing that has occurred and I want to come out and be able to tell people what has happened to me and what they did to cover it up.'— Alex Chapman

Despite the $67 million he is seeking in his lawsuits, Chapman insists the court action is not about money but about clearing the air.

"There's a lot of wrongdoing that has occurred and I want to come out and be able to tell people what has happened to me and what they did to cover it up," he said. "That [$25,000] was basically hush-hush money."

Hearings have been adjourned until Oct. 12 so that Chapman can find a lawyer.

He told CBC News nobody in the province wants to represent him so he is looking out of province, hoping to hire someone from Toronto.