Ontario Court Makes Rare Decision In Common Issues Class Action Trial

The Ontario Superior Court of Justice recently released its decision in the common issues class action trial of Ramdath v. George Brown College, 2012 ONSC 6173. This is one of the very few rulings on the merits of a class action trial in Ontario.

The case also proceeded relatively promptly for our jurisdiction, taking about two and a half years from certification to common issue trial. The trial was heard over two days with all of the evidence adduced by way of affidavits and read-ins.

The class members were about 120 former students of a business management program at George Brown College. They claimed that the course calendar falsely stated that graduates of the program would obtain three industry designations in addition to a college certificate. The representative plaintiffs already held university degrees and/or college certificates and claimed that they had enrolled in the program to obtain the industry designations, not the college certificate.