Canadian Civil Lawsuit Forum

In 1999, I organized a forum to examine the American strategy of filing civil lawsuits against entertainment companies for violent acts their products are believed to have inspired, a tactic pioneered by people like Miami attorney Jack Thompson. We brought Mr. Thompson together with representatives of Canadian victims' organizations and their legal advocates to discuss the feasibility of using this strategy in Canada.

The consensus from the lawyers who participated in a panel discussion, was that Canadians could indeed file civil lawsuits, that it was important for this to take place, but that the right set of circumstances and facts had to come together in order to test this innovative strategy in the courts.

This section contains information on the forum and participants, along with a news release issued at the close of the event.