Toronto police board seeks to appeal G20 class-action certification

TORONTO – Two class-action lawsuits by hundreds of people detained during the G20 summit in Toronto four years ago are headed for another round of legal wrangling.

Earlier this month the Divisional Court allowed the proceedings to move ahead, overturning a previous court ruling that declined to certify it as a class action.

The Divisional Court decided the case should be two separate, but related, class-action lawsuits — one for hundreds of people who were abruptly detained by police at five locations across Toronto, and another to deal with the treatment of those who were held at a detention centre set up during the summit.

The court said it is important the allegations of police mistreatment be heard in court.

The Toronto Police Services Board now wants to appeal that decision, filing a notice of motion with Ontario’s Appeal Court, seeking leave to appeal.

Sherry Good, the lead plaintiff in one of the class actions, issued a statement calling the police decision “very disappointing.”