Settlement closer in tainted meat lawsuit
Last Updated: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 | 4:49 PM CT
CBC News
A proposed settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Maple Leaf Foods has been approved by a judge in Saskatchewan, moving the case toward a conclusion.
On Tuesday, Justice Ron Barclay of the Court of Queen's Bench approved the $25-million deal in the Canada-wide lawsuit, which was filed over last year's listeriosis outbreak.
At least 20 deaths were linked to the outbreak, which triggered the largest meat recall in Canadian history.
If the settlement clears the remaining legal hurdles, including approval by a court in Quebec, people who got sick will be entitled to compensation of $750 to $125,000 each. People who lost family members will receive around $200,000, according to Regina lawyer Tony Merchant, who led the Regina court process.
An Ontario court has already backed the deal, covering claimants in that province as well as Alberta and British Columbia. Barclay's decision approves the settlement for Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador and the three territories.
Merchant told CBC News that his firm represents about 5,000 affected people across Canada.
Merchant said his clients may start to see money as early as next month.
His legal firm expected to earn about $3 million dollars from the case, he said.
With files from the Canadian PressShare Tools
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