Montreal wants each vandal pays

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Fifteen cruisers were damaged or destroyed in the chaos following the victory of the Canadian in the first round against the Boston Bruins, in April 2008.

Boris Proulx

Tuesday, October 3, 2017 19:17

UPDATE
Tuesday, October 3, 2017 19:17

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OTTAWA | Montreal, asked Tuesday to the supreme Court to make it also responsible for every rioter arrested for the destruction of his cruisers after a match of the Canadian in 2008, in order to recover a maximum of half a million in damages.

The City is not satisfied that the lower courts were not asked to 18 of the 20 rioters prosecuted in the civil refund of jointly its cruisers had been destroyed during the riot caused by the elimination of the Boston Bruins at Montreal’s Bell Centre, April 21, 2008.

The City argues that a vandal, who gave a simple kick at a police vehicle should be as responsible for or to repay another who set the fire.

It, thus, wants to maximize its chances to obtain a refund by going to seek money at one of the saboteurs identified, if another was not able to pay.

As responsible

“Each person had a faulty behaviour that night, because'[they] have given a kick and have encouraged others to destroy the autopatrouille “, has argued before seven judges of the supreme Court Jean-Nicolas Loiselle, the lawyer for the quebec metropolis.

The courts have already recognized the responsibility of the people arrested for the damage they themselves have caused, but refused to declare them jointly and severally liable for the whole of the work.

The Court of appeal had decided in 2016 that the thugs were not concerted to land blows, throw bricks or bottles, jump on the hood and finally set fire to the cars.

Fifteen police vehicles were vandalized that night, including nine that have been declared ” total loss “. A total of $ 500,000 in damages has been absorbed by the City.

Fault separate

“Everyone has made mistakes separate […] there is no evidence that our clients have encouraged other people to do the damage to the vehicles,” retorted the defence to convince the judge does not put all the rioters in the same boat.

Two people have already been ordered to repay jointly and severally a police car.

The country’s highest court will decide in coming weeks if the 18 other individuals sued civilly by the City of Montreal in this case will experience the same fate.