The Honourable Brian Riordan Featured in Radio-Canada Podcast on Historic Tobacco Litigation

Spiegel Ryan is proud to highlight the participation of The Honourable Brian Riordan, former Justice of the Superior Court of Québec, in Radio-Canada’s new podcast series, La grande fumisterie: les géants du tabac dans l'œil d'Alain Gravel, now available on the OHdio platform.

In episodes 7 and 8 of this eight-part documentary series, Justice Riordan reflects on one of the most significant cases in Canadian legal history: the Blais and Létourneau class actions against Canada’s major tobacco manufacturers.

Having presided over the trial that led to the landmark 2015 judgment, Justice Riordan shares his perspective on this extraordinary case, which culminated in the condemnation of Imperial Tobacco, Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, and JTI-Macdonald to pay billions of dollars in damages to tens of thousands of Québec smokers and former smokers.

Together, the Blais and Létourneau class actions represent the largest class action litigation in Canadian legal history. Led for more than two decades by lawyers Philippe H. Trudel, Bruce W. Johnston and André Lespérance, alongside representatives of the affected groups, the proceedings profoundly influenced the landscape of Canadian class actions and civil liability law.

Hosted by journalist Alain Gravel, the series retraces the origins of the litigation, the legal challenges faced by the plaintiffs, the stories of affected individuals, and the revelations that helped expose the practices of the tobacco industry. It also offers a rare opportunity to hear Justice Riordan discuss the trial, its complexities and the legal foundations of his historic decision.

This compelling series sheds light on one of the most consequential legal battles in Canadian history and its lasting impact on both the legal system and public health.

La grande fumisterie: les géants du tabac dans l'œil d'Alain Gravel is now available on OHdio:

🔗 https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/balados/13770/dans-loeil-dalain-gravel/saison-2