Appeal Court confirms decision that CP Rail is not responsible for Lac-Mégantic tragedy
An upheld ruling by Quebec’s Court of Appeal from 2022 stated that Canadian Pacific Railway is not legally liable for the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster that resulted in the death of 47 individuals.
The high court in the province dismissed appeals from three parties seeking to obligate the railway company to contribute to a compensation fund for around 4,000 victims of the 2013 tragedy.
Out of the 24 companies targeted in a class-action lawsuit, Canadian Pacific was the sole entity that refused to make voluntary contributions to the victim compensation fund, which amounted to approximately $460 million.
In a ruling made in December 2022, Justice Martin Bureau of the Superior Court concluded that Canadian Pacific’s actions, regardless of fault, did not directly cause the damages suffered by the victims. The responsibility, the judge stated, rested with the train conductor, Thomas Harding, and his employer, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway Limited.
Today, a three-judge panel from the Court of Appeal upheld this ruling and rejected all three appeals.
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On July 6, 2013, a runaway train carrying tanker cars filled with crude oil careened into the town of 6,000, derailed, and exploded, leading to the death of 47 individuals and significant destruction in the downtown area.
Canadian Pacific argued that it should not be held accountable for the incident as the train was not under the operation of CP employees or on CP tracks at the time of the derailment.
The Court of Appeal determined that the appellants failed to prove that the judge had made various factual and legal errors. The appeals were jointly filed by a group of citizens, insurance companies that contributed to the compensation fund, and the Quebec government.
