Péladeau family quarrel over inheritance ends as high court rejects brothers’ appeal

OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada is refusing to hear an appeal by Quebec media mogul Pierre Karl Péladeau and his brother of a ruling that awarded $36 million in inheritance to their sister.

Canada’s high court dismissed the appeal involving a more than 20-year-old family quarrel between the heirs of the late Quebecor founder Pierre Péladeau, and as is customary, it did not give a reason.

Superior Court Justice Gérard Dugré in 2020 ordered Placements Péladeau Inc., which controls the estate, to award Anne-Marie Péladeau $36 million plus interest and court costs.

Her brothers, Érik and Pierre Karl — who is president and CEO of Quebecor — appealed that decision to Quebec’s highest court and lost in November 2021.

Anne-Marie Péladeau had claimed $88 million in the dispute, which dates back to a settlement reached in 2000, three years after Pierre Péladeau died.

At the heart of the case was whether a clause in the contract with Anne-Marie Péladeau allowed her to receive certain yearly payments only if the dividends paid to the placement company by Quebecor exceeded $4.2 million.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2022.