(Windsor, ON, Thursday, October 27, 2022) – Windsor Law School’s Class Action Clinic has received a $3.1 million award from the recent settlement of a $100-million class action lawsuit.
“This award to the Clinic is an important next step in Windsor Law’s rich history of upholding an access to justice mission for Canadians,” said Windsor Law dean Reem Bahdi.
“The Class Action Clinic at Windsor Law is the first clinic of its kind in North America” she said.
Bahdi says a class action lawsuit is a special type of lawsuit used in situations where it may not be feasible or practical for an individual to sue a large defendant, especially if the amount claimed at the individual level is small.
However, with a class action lawsuit, all individuals, called a class, collectively file a lawsuit. “A class action lawsuit facilitates access to justice where it would otherwise not be attainable,” says Professor Jasminka Kalajdzic, the Clinic’s founder and director, saying this award is the result of the settlement of the class action lawsuit, MacDonald et al v. BMO Trust Company et al.
“I am impressed with Windsor Law’s long-standing commitment to improving access to justice and with the work of the Class Action Clinic,” said James MacDonald, one of the lawsuit’s lead plaintiffs. Kalajdzic said the Class Action Clinic is deeply honoured to have been chosen to receive this significant award.
“This re-affirms the important work of the Clinic and will permit it to accelerate its focus on helping Canadians across the country in their pursuit of justice through their involvement in current and future class action lawsuits.”
She said the Clinic also provides law students with a unique hands-on learning experience as part of their law school education to become ethical, justice-seeking lawyers through teaching, research, advocacy, and service.
“The lawsuit settlement helped thousands of Canadians achieve access to justice for their claim,” said MacDonald.
“Similarly, I have every confidence that this award will propel the essential work of the Class Action Clinic further and faster to also help many more thousands of Canadians for many years to come.
On behalf of the class members of the lawsuit, we look forward to the impact Professor Kalajdzic and her team will achieve with this award.”
-30-
Background: The Class Action Clinic was created in 2019 to assist members at all stages of class action litigation, including in the claims process. It has assisted well over 100 class members recover more than $1 million in complex settlement claims processes to date and has also intervened at the Ontario Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Appeal on legal issues of widespread importance.
CONTACT:
Lori Lewis Manager, Communications and Publications
University of Windsor
519-890-3300 (cell)
llewis@uwindsor.ca