The City of Windsor and Town of Tecumseh are appealing a court decision that has ordered the municipalities to cease future communications to the public about a class action lawsuit.
The appeal seeks to reverse the order from a Superior Court judge who ruled the town and the city must cease releasing information through an opt-out campaign that asks eligible organizations to opt-out of the lawsuit. However, all existing communications from the campaign have been permitted to remain in place.
A statement from the City of Windsor says the municipalities will respect the court’s order unless the appeal is successful.
“The court’s order in this case raises important concerns and legal questions that we believe require review by a higher court," says Windsor City Solicitor Shelby Askin Hager in a media release. “Because of the nature of the order, the city and town will express those concerns in their legal filings rather than through public statements.”
In the court ruling released on January 29, the judge states that the city and the town crossed a line when they launched the campaign, and have created undue influence on those eligible for the class action lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Windsor and Tecumseh have been collecting excessive licensing fees for charity bingo events dating back to 1993.
City officials have said the lawsuit could end up costing taxpayers over $70-million.
