The head of the Merchant Law Group says federal lawyers continue to say inaccurate, hurtful things about his law firm, even though four previous courts have ruled in favour of him and against Ottawa in its ten year fight to recover millions.
At issue is the 25 million dollar payment to the law group for representing thousands of residential school survivors. Ottawa still maintains Merchant charged too much and was guilty of fraud and deceit.
Merchant says that has never been proven in court, while a judge has ruled the case can not possibly be won with three other courts upholding that ruling.
It was all back in the court of appeal yesterday, with the federal government trying once again to discredit the Merchant law group.
“Indigenous people know better than anyone the way the federal government will keep doing what seems to be wrongful things and keeps pressing.” He said.
This fight has been going on for ten years, yet the allegations of fraud, deceit and overbilling are often reported sounding like they are new allegations. Merchant says what is often ignored is the fact that the federal government has been on the losing side of the argument for years.
“Some of the media haven’t covered the case in the reality that a court said that government lawyers can’t possibly win this law suit,” he said. “Yet it still gets reported as though there are live issues here, but that’s the way things work.
There is no word on when the court of appeal will bring down its ruling on Ottawa’s latest challenge.