The Supreme Court of Canada recently released its decision in Sherman Estate
v Donovan, 2021 SCC 25, on the question of
whether to grant a request from the estates' trustees to seal
documentation relating to the will probate process.
There is little doubt that public interest in the decision
relates more to the high-profile nature of the underlying deaths of
Honey and Barry Sherman, than to interest in the courts'
position on sealing orders. That being said, despite
the technical and narrow issue considered, the ruling provides
interesting insight into the Supreme Court's attitude toward
privacy as a public interest in its own right, which is worthy of
protection in certain circumstances.
