The Ontario Superior Court of Justice had an opportunity to
consider the principles to be applied when asking for dismissal of
a proposed class action on consent.
In a recent decision, Gradja v. Barrick Gold Corp, the
Ontario Superior Court of Justice had an opportunity to consider
the principles to be applied when asking for dismissal of a
proposed class action on consent.
The plaintiff, Mr. Gradja, had commenced a proposed class action
against Barrick Gold Corporation (Barrick) claiming damages for
alleged misrepresentations relating to Barrick's business
operations and an environmental accident that affected the
business's finances. The claim for misrepresentation was
advanced pursuant to common law principles and pursuant to a
statutory provision in the Ontario Securities Act. To support the
claim, counsel for Mr. Gradja retained local legal counsel in
Argentina to assist in obtaining the relevant
documents. Unfortunately, local Argentinian counsel were
unable