Convoy organizers try to quash $300 million lawsuit

The people facing a $300 million class-action lawsuit for organizing the 2022 convoy protests in Ottawa are attempting to have the case quashed altogether, or moved out of Canada's capital.

Lawyers representing convoy organizers Tamara Lich, Chris Barber and 10 other parties are preparing to argue the lawsuit should be dismissed because the legal action against them unduly limits their freedom of expression in a matter of public interest.

The lawyer representing Pat King, another convoy organizer, in the proceedings is intending on supporting the motion to have the case tossed. 

Known as an anti-Slapp motion, the matter is expected to be debated during a court hearing in October.

"What happened in Ottawa was a matter of expression, we had a lot of people who were obviously very upset with what was going on in 2022 and they were taking to the streets expressing themselves," said James Manson, the lawyer representing Lich, Barber and the others. 

"The lawsuit that was launched against my clients and everybody else does relate to expression, and it does relate to a matter of public interest of course, it was the COVID vaccine mandates and all of the government response to COVID," he said. 

Another motion will be argued after that: Lawyers representing other defendants, most of whom were heavily involved in managing and collecting donations during the convoy, say the court case should be moved out of Ottawa. 

It's not yet clear if they will support the other defendants' effort to have the matter thrown out altogether. 

The U.S.-based GiveSendGo, an online platform used to collect more than $12 million during the protests, its founder Jacob Wells and others who managed donations argue a fair trial can't be had in Ottawa. 

Their argument focuses on whether the number of Ottawa residents who may be included in the lawsuit or be potential witnesses in it is too many to hold a fair trial in the capital city. 

They intend on proposing the matter should be moved to Toronto and heard by a Superior Court of Justice there.

Paul Champ, the lawyer behind the proposed class-action suit, said he doubted either of the motions would be successful.

"The defendants, for whatever reasons, still don't seem to be taking it seriously," he said. "They're trying to do everything they can to slow it down."

Manson denies this being the case.