Lawyer Seeks $30M From Former Firm, Claims Major Role in $1.3B Case
A Calgary attorney says he is entitled to $30 million from Merchant Law Group and the Canadian government for his work on one of the country’s biggest personal injury cases.
The attorney, Tom Stepper, says he was the principal architect of the litigation concept in a case over the treatment of Indians in residential schools, which resulted in a settlement of at least $1.3 billion, according to the Globe and Mail. Stepper also says he brought thousands of clients in the case to the firm during the time he worked there, between 1998 and 2003.
His claim, which was filed earlier this month in Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench, alleges breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment.
Partner Tony Merchant says there is no basis for Stepper’s claim, the newspaper reports. “He couldn’t possibly have a claim against us because you have to sue within two years, and he hasn’t been with us since 2003,” Merchant says.
His firm hasn’t yet been paid, but it is to get between $25 million and $40 million for a decade of work by dozens of lawyers on the case.
