Friday, November 6, 2020

Maple Leaf faces Supreme Court decision


Maple Leaf Foods will learn today whether the Supreme Court of Canada will rule in its favour in a class-action lawsuit over a food recall.

It won in an appeal where the judges said it’s important that companies issue recalls to protect the safety of consumers, so they should not have to worry about huge bills from customers.

Mr. Sub restaurants filed the lawsuit saying its business was hurt because the recall left them without meat supplies for six to eight weeks.

This all happened in 2008 when listeria monocytogenes sicked customers and more than 20 died, most of them elderly people in nursing homes.

Maple Leaf and its insurers have settled class-action lawsuits filed by victims of food poisoning.

Legal experts say the decision on this recall case could change the rules on manufacturer liability in product recalls and the way recalls are handled.