A Superior Court judge has ruled that the City of Windsor and the Town of Tecumseh crossed a line when they launched a campaign asking the public to opt-out of a class-action lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims Windsor and Tecumseh have been collecting excessive licensing fees for charity bingo events. The municipalities issued a public plea earlier this month for eligible organizations to opt-out of the lawsuit, which may end up costing taxpayers over $70-million.
A court ruling released on Friday states that the efforts of the opt-out campaign have created undue influence on those eligible for the class-action lawsuit.
The town and city have now been ordered to cease releasing information through the opt-out campaign, other than what already exists. As well, any organization that has opted-out will have the opportunity to reconsider their position.
The class-action suit was launched against the City of Windsor by the ALS Society, while Belle River District Minor Hockey followed through with similar action towards the Town of Tecumseh.
Any organization that has paid a licencing fee dating back to 1993 is eligible to be a part of the lawsuit.