Heyder v. Canada (Attorney General)
- Citation
- 2020 FC 406
- Status
- Judgment
- Jurisdiction
- Canada
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 23 March 2020
- Posture
- Class Action Settlement Administration / Motion for Extension of Time Frames; Consent Order
- Language
- English
More details
- Court
- Federal Court
- Decision
- 23 March 2020
- Posture
- Class Action Settlement Administration / Motion for Extension of Time Frames; Consent Order
- Language
- English
On this page
Professional case brief
Research organized from the available case record
01
Holding and result
The court granted the parties' agreed extensions because the plaintiffs consented and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made the extensions necessary and in the interests of justice, and the proposed amendments to the FSA and SSA were not materially different absent time-frame changes.
Court disposition
Order granted
Orders
- Commencement of the Claims Period extended by 60 days by amending definition of "Claims Period" in Section 1.01 of the FSA to: "Claims Period" means the eighteen (18) month period commencing ninety (90) days from the Implementation date to the Individual Application Deadline.
- Conclusion of the Claims Period extended by 60 days by amending definition of "Individual Application Deadline" in Section 1.01 of the FSA to: "Individual Application Deadline" means ninety (90) days following the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the Implementation Date.
- Time frame for Lead Assessor and Associate Lead Assessor to establish and administer a process to identify individuals to be considered for appointment as Assessors extended by 60 days by amending first paragraph of Section 4.02 of the SSA to require completion within 150 days of the Court's approval of the SSA.
- Section 19.04 of the FSA amended to require that no amendment or supplement may be made unless agreed to by the parties in writing and, except with respect to time frames, approved by the Court without any material difference.
02
Material facts
Parties
Sherry Heyder
PlaintiffAmy Graham
PlaintiffNadine Schultz-Nielsen
PlaintiffLarry Beattie
PlaintiffThe Attorney General of Canada
DefendantAmounts and remedies
- Claims Period Commencement Extension (days): 60
- Individual Application Deadline Extension (days): 60
- Lead Assessor Process Timeframe (days): 150
- Claims Period Duration (months): 18
- Implementation to Commencement (days): 90
03
Procedural history
Posture
Class Action Settlement Administration / Motion for Extension of Time Frames; Consent Order
04
Questions and positions
Legal issues
- 01
Whether to extend time frames in the Final Settlement Agreement and Second Supplementary Agreement due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 02
Whether the court should approve amendments to the FSA and SSA where the parties consent and it is in the interests of justice
Party arguments
- Applicant
- Defendant sought an order extending multiple time frames in the FSA and SSA by 60 days (and one by setting 150 days) because the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prevented timely performance and administration under the settlement.
- Respondent
- Plaintiffs consented to the form of the proposed order and agreed the extensions were appropriate in the circumstances.
05
Court’s reasoning
Legal principles
- 01
Common law principle applied by Federal Court (Fothergill J.)
Court may approve consensual amendments to settlement timelines where doing so is in the interests of justice.
- 02
Final Settlement Agreement and Second Supplementary Agreement as interpreted by the Court
Parties may agree to written amendments to a settlement subject to court approval when required by the settlement terms; time-frame adjustments can be approved without material difference.
06
Ratio, limits and disposition
Ratio decidendi
The court granted the parties' agreed extensions because the plaintiffs consented and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic made the extensions necessary and in the interests of justice, and the proposed amendments to the FSA and SSA were not materially different absent time-frame changes.
Obiter and limits
- Court amended Section 19.04 of the FSA to clarify that amendments or supplements require written agreement of the parties and, except with respect to time frames, court approval where there is no material difference
Court disposition
Order granted
- Commencement of the Claims Period extended by 60 days by amending definition of "Claims Period" in Section 1.01 of the FSA to: "Claims Period" means the eighteen (18) month period commencing ninety (90) days from the Implementation date to the Individual Application Deadline.
- Conclusion of the Claims Period extended by 60 days by amending definition of "Individual Application Deadline" in Section 1.01 of the FSA to: "Individual Application Deadline" means ninety (90) days following the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the Implementation Date.
- Time frame for Lead Assessor and Associate Lead Assessor to establish and administer a process to identify individuals to be considered for appointment as Assessors extended by 60 days by amending first paragraph of Section 4.02 of the SSA to require completion within 150 days of the Court's approval of the SSA.
- Section 19.04 of the FSA amended to require that no amendment or supplement may be made unless agreed to by the parties in writing and, except with respect to time frames, approved by the Court without any material difference.
Source and reliance status
Federal Court · 23 March 2020
This page organises the available record for research. Confirm quotations, current status, and subsequent treatment against the official source before relying on the case.
Judgment reading view
Judgment text
The complete available source text.
Federal Court
Judgment· 23 March 2020
Heyder v. Canada (Attorney General) Court (s) Database Federal Court Decisions Date 2020-03-23 Neutral citation 2020 FC 406 File numbers T-2111-16, T-460-17 Decision Content Date: 20200323 Dockets: T-2111-16 T-460-17 Citation: 2020 FC 406 Ottawa, Ontario, March 23, 2020 PRESENT: The Honourable Mr. Justice Fothergill Docket: T-2111-16 BETWEEN:
SHERRY HEYDER
AMY GRAHAM NADINE SCHULTZ-NIELSEN Plaintiffs and
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA Defendant Docket: T-460-17 AND BETWEEN:
LARRY BEATTIE Plaintiff and
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA Defendant
ORDER (Extension of Time Frames) UPON the motion made by the Defendants in writing for an Order extending the time frames specified in the Final Settlement Agreement [FSA] and Second Supplementary Agreement [SSA]; AND UPON reading the Defendants’ motion record; AND UPON being informed of the Plaintiffs’ consent to the form of this Order; AND UPON being satisfied that, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is in the interests of justice to extend the time frames in the manner proposed by the parties; THIS COURT ORDERS that: The commencement of the Claims Period is extended by 60 days by amending the definition of “Claims Period” in Section 1.01 of the FSA to read as follows: “Claims Period” means the eighteen (18) month period commencing ninety (90) days from the Implementation date to the Individual Application Deadline; The conclusion of the Claims Period is extended by 60 days by amending the definition of “Individual Application Deadline” in Section 1.01 of the FSA to read as follows: “Individual Application Deadline” means ninety (90) days following the eighteen (18) month anniversary of the Implementation Date; The time frame for the Lead Assessor and Associate Lead Assessor to establish and administer a process to identify individuals to be considered for appointment as Assessors is extended by 60 days by amending the first paragraph of Section 4.02 of the SSA to read
as follows: Within 150 days of the Court’s approval of this SSA, in consultation with the Parties, the Lead Assessor, with the assistance of the Associate Lead Assessor, will establish and administer a process to identify individuals to be considered for appointment of Assessors. Section 19.04 of the FSA is amended to read as follows: Except as expressly provided in this FSA, no amendment or supplement may be made to the provisions of this FSA and no restatement of this FSA may be made unless agreed to by the parties in writing and, except with respect to time frames, any such amendment, supplement or restatement is approved by the Court without any material difference. “Simon Fothergill” Judge
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