Canada

Who’s suing whom?

A round-up of weird and wacky lawsuits from across the country
Cigdem Iltan

Alberta: A former high school student says she was seriously injured when her desk collapsed and is suing Edmonton Public Schools for $200,000. The woman alleges she suffered post-traumatic headaches and joint dysfunction—the result, she claims, of the desk supplier or manufacturer’s negligence and the school’s failure to maintain the desks.

Manitoba: A Winnipeg hospital is suing its auditor for allegedly failing to notice $1.5 million skimmed from a hospital-operated ATM over the course of a decade. According to the lawsuit, hospital staff—not the auditor—discovered that a finance clerk who had access to cash used to replenish the bank machine had allegedly defrauded the hospital. The hospital alleges that its auditor misstated assets in financial statements and did not act in accordance with “generally accepted accounting principles.”

Ontario: Two seniors are suing Ottawa transit for injuries they suffered after falling on a bus, allegedly because of bad driving. One woman says she fell after the bus jerked to a stop, while the other says she fell when the bus sped up too quickly. The women are each seeking $2.1 million in damages.

New Brunswick: A parking enforcement company is suing the City of Fredericton, alleging that police officers threatened and intimidated its parking employees with charges of mischief and theft, which it claims has slowed expansion plans. The company, which installs wheel clamps on cars parked without permission on private property, claims that officers forced employees to release cars without compensation.

Nova Scotia: A Nova Scotia couple is suing the province because they say they can’t afford the cost of equipment needed to grow medical marijuana. The couple, who use marijuana to lessen the pain of glaucoma, a blood disorder and injuries from a car crash, are seeking a $2,500 set-up fee and $100 every three months for chemicals and supplies.