About Us
In 1992, the Class Proceedings Committee ("CPC") and the Class Proceedings Fund (the "Fund") were established under the Law Society Amendment Act to provide financial support to class action plaintiffs for disbursements. The Fund was established with a $500,000 grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario. The CPC receives a levy in the amount of 10% in any awards or settlements in favour of the plaintiffs in funded proceedings together with a return of any funded disbursements. Plaintiffs awarded support are also indemnified for costs that may be awarded against them in funded proceedings.
The CPC determines whether applicants will receive funding based upon a number of considerations including: the merits of the plaintiff’s case, the extent to which the issue in the proceeding affects the public interest, the plaintiff’s efforts to raise funds,
the likelihood of certification and the amount of money in the Fund.
The existence of the CPC and the Fund facilitate the public’s access to justice as potential class action plaintiffs may be discouraged from prosecuting their claims because the personal benefit to them might be quite small even if they are successful and there is potential exposure to significant costs awards against them if they are unsuccessful.
