Lawyers representing several Freedom Convoy protestors and donors are asking an Ontario court to permanently halt a $290 million class action lawsuit, arguing the case has been tainted by a secret settlement agreement that went undisclosed for nearly two years.The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms announced that defence counsel have filed a motion seeking a stay of proceedings after learning that plaintiffs’ lawyer Paul Champ entered into a partial settlement with one of the defendants in April 2024 — but failed to disclose it until January 27, 2026.The class action, launched in February 2022 by Ottawa residents Zexi Li and Geoffrey Delaney, along with Happy Goat Coffee Company and a local union, is seeking $290 million in damages related to the 2022 Freedom Convoy protest on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.The claim targets not only protestors but also donors, alleging that those who contributed financially “knew or ought to have known” their donations would support activities that allegedly caused nuisance harms, including horn honking and idling trucks in downtown Ottawa during January and February 2022.According to the Justice Centre, the undisclosed agreement required the self-represented defendant to provide documents to the plaintiffs for use against other defendants, participate in a private interview of up to five hours, swear an affidavit supporting the plaintiffs’ case, make himself available for cross-examination, and pay $60,000 in exchange for being released from the lawsuit..The issue surfaced during a Jan. 29, 2026 case conference, when defence counsel advised the court they had only recently learned of the agreement. Under Ontario law, certain types of partial settlement agreements must be disclosed immediately to all parties in the litigation. In this case, defence lawyers say the agreement was withheld for nearly 22 months.Counsel for the remaining defendants had previously requested disclosure of any such agreements but were told it was “not an appropriate time,” according to the Justice Centre.Constitutional lawyer James Manson, who represents multiple defendants including protestors and donors, said the delay strikes at the heart of procedural fairness.“The integrity of the justice system depends on transparency between all parties,” Manson said. “When one side secretly enters into an agreement with a defendant that requires cooperation against others, and then does not disclose that agreement immediately, as required by law, the basic fairness of the process is fundamentally undermined. Courts cannot permit litigation to proceed on a foundation that has been compromised in this way.”If the court grants the motion, the high-profile class action stemming from the Freedom Convoy protest could be brought to an abrupt end, marking a dramatic turn in one of the most closely watched civil cases arising from the 2022 demonstrations.
