Rob Ford hit with lawsuit alleging link to jailhouse assault

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is being sued by his sister's ex-boyfriend for allegedly conspiring to have the man beaten in jail.

A statement of claim submitted by Scott MacIntyre alleges the mayor and two others were behind an assault at a Toronto jail which took place in March 2012.

The suit also names Ontario's Ministry of Correctional Services, which is responsible for the province's jails.

Ford's lawyer has confirmed that the mayor was named in a statement of claim submitted by MacIntyre.

MacIntyre used to be in a relationship with Ford's sister Kathy.

None of the lawsuit's claims have been proven in court.

Ford, 44, was elected as the mayor of Toronto in 2010. He has registered to run for re-election this fall.

His three-plus years at the helm of the city government have been controversial, as Ford has consistently made headlines both for his work at Toronto City Hall and for his life outside of it.

Since his election as mayor, Ford has survived a conflict-of-interest challenge that threatened to oust him from office and also seen a defamation lawsuit against him dismissed in court.

Ford is seen speaking with Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly at Toronto City Hall earlier this month. Council voted to transfer some of Ford's powers to Kelly after details about a drug-related scandal involving the mayor were publicly revealed. (Chris Young/Canadian Press)

In May of last year, reports emerged that someone had been offering to sell a video that showed Ford using crack.

For months Ford denied both using drugs and the video's existence, but later admitted to having smoked crack after police revealed in October that they had obtained the video.

He also admitted to buying illegal drugs while serving in office and also to drinking to excess.

The drug-related scandal involving the mayor made headlines around the world and made Ford a frequent topic of conversation on late-night talk shows.

Toronto City Council voted to strip the mayor of some of his powers in the wake of his admissions in November, transferring some of his powers to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly.

Ford eventually said he was giving up drinking, though earlier this month, he admitted to having been drinking on a night that a bizarre video was filmed, which showed him ranting and speaking in Jamaican patois.