Ridley Australia Decision Leaves Corporate Veil in Place

Regional Senior Justice Winkler of the Ontario Superior Court recently dismissed a proposed class action against an Australian feed manufacturer, Ridley Corporation Limited (Ridley Australia) on a motion to strike the claim on the basis that the allegations as pleaded disclosed no cause of action.

The representative plaintiff, Bill Sauer, on behalf of a proposed class of approximately one hundred thousand Canadian cattle farmers, seeks certification of an action against Ridley Australia, its Canadian subsidiary Ridley Inc. (Ridley Canada) and the federal Crown. The plaintiff seeks damages in excess of $20 billion for economic losses arising from the international border closures to Canadian beef and cattle following a mad cow diagnosis in a cow in Alberta in 2003.