Recently, I was retained for a subsidiary matter involving the provision of a payout statement to a client’s borrower to authorize the discharge of a mortgage on title to a property in Windsor, Ontario. Prior to my retention, the client forwarded me an email thread in which the borrower’s lawyer was seen pressuring them to “immediately” provide this payout statement. Specifically, this lawyer stated, “…You are required under the Mortgages Act [sic] to provide the payout statement immediately. You can charge whatever penalty you need, but a two-month delay on your end may result in legal consequences to you as this delay would be highly prejudicial to my client. Please provide a statement as soon as possible.” Upon reading this, I immediately undertook to review