A $5.25 million settlement has been reached in the class action lawsuit over the 2020 Prince George motel fire that killed three people.
CFM Lawyers LLP and Dick Byl Law Corp., firms representing anyone who was injured or lost property, said March 5 that the sum is the proposed settlement for the July 8, 2020 fire at the Prince George Econo Lodge Motel.
One of the occupants, Leonard Hay, is the representative plaintiff. In his August 2020-filed claim, he accused Mundi 910 Victoria Enterprises Ltd., Choice Hotels Canada Inc., the City of Prince George and All Points Fire Protection Ltd. of negligence.
In December 2022, Justice Marguerite Church deemed Hay a suitable representative plaintiff for the common cause and certified the lawsuit as a class action.
A statement from the law firm said that the proposed settlements do not involve findings or admissions of wrongdoing.
“This fire was a tragedy. Our legal system can never truly address the losses of the guests who were injured or the families of the three who were killed,” Jamie Thornback of CFM Lawyers said. “We started this class action to get fair compensation for the people who were injured by this fire. These settlements achieve that goal.”
On July 30, lawyers will go to Prince George Courthouse to seek a judge’s approval of the settlement and protocol for distributing funds and fees.
If approved, the claims will be settled without a trial.
Deadline to contact the lawyers is June 3 for people who fall under the following categories: registered guests at the hotel on July 8, 2020; people present at the hotel on July 8, 2020 at the time of the fire; people present at Yolks All-Day Family Restaurant on July 8, 2020 at the time of the fire, and family members of the people who died in the fire.
In May 2023, BC Supreme Court Justice Margot Fleming acquitted suspect Kyle Aster of arson and criminal negligence causing death.
The case relied on a video showing Aster in the area around the time the fire broke out. But the video evidence did not show anyone actually setting the fire. Investigators could not determine how the blaze was set.
