Court cases of the moment
A woman is suing the city for thousands of dollars to pay for teeth she lost when her bike hit a raised sewer cover on the Gouin Boulevard bike path and she did an endo.
An all-male “throuple” in Montreal is petitioning Quebec to recognize all three of them as parents to a little girl. Heather has three daddies?
A Montrealer is suing several large grocery chains over faux Made in Canada labels.
Ian 22:08 on 2025-09-13 Permalink
I blew out my front tire and messed up my knee joint going over a road plate biking over a corner back in 92, I had no idea I could sue. What’s the statute of limitations on that?
I kind of feel like biking in the city is treated as an “at your own risk”situation, but then again people do successfully sue for slipping on ice or damaging their cars on potholes… And dental work ain’t cheap.
Kate 22:14 on 2025-09-13 Permalink
You can complain without going so far as to sue. I know someone who tripped on a piece of sidewalk hardware – a stub for a bike rack, sticking right up out of the sidewalk and, for once, not marked with a cone – and fell hard, injuring herself and ruining her clothes. She got about a grand to offset costs in sessions with an orthopedist and to replace the damaged garments.
Annette 02:45 on 2025-09-14 Permalink
She was financially compensated via complaint? Pleasantly surprising! I’ve seen those rusty metal bolts (for securing poles/signage, racks) sticking up everywhere. I wonder how many formal complaints it would take for the city to treat those all as hazards – along with empty tree wells, poorly-graded manhole covers, etc etc.
There’s a straight line between crooked contractors and that anti-human, hazardous obstacle course of a streetscape – so what’s the best way the suffering citizen can gain leverage in that kind of system? Maybe lots of lawsuits, idk?
There are broke-ass post-soviet countries that put more thought and precautions into their urban ameliorations than Montreal does. It’s a choice Montreal makes, not an inevitability.
Kate 09:39 on 2025-09-14 Permalink
Often it’s less expensive to settle than to go to court – on the other hand, settling a complaint moves faster than a court case. So it was beneficial for both the victim and the city to have it sorted out quickly. Also, she had her partner photograph the accident site and her injuries right away, so the city must have realized it had no defense.