Sometimes, the court will say that enough is enough. It will put the brakes on frivolous estate litigation. 

One such case is the Court of Queens’ Bench of Alberta decision of Re Klein. There, the deceased died in 2012. She was survived by her three children, who were the beneficiaries of her estate. The estate appears to have consisted of a real property, and some bank accounts.  Notwithstanding the apparent straightforwardness of the estate, it appears that multiple proceedings were commenced as between the beneficiaries and the estate trustee in relation to the estate. 

On August 27, 2021, after various earlier court attendances, Justice Graesser put a stop to the litigation. The matter was before the court as two of the beneficiaries sought further disclosure of banking activity in relation to a $99.25 deposit into the estate account. 

In the decision, Justice Graesser reviewed the history of the estate administration and the evidence of the parties. He concluded that there was no merit in requiring the estate trustee to make any further disclosure. He noted the “proportionality” provisions of the Rules of Court. While the estate trustee may not have accounted perfectly, “Any further work, by [the estate trustee] or by the Courts in receiving or reviewing any further information or submissions, would be completely disproportionate to the magnitude of any possible failings.”

Justice Graesser also noted the court’s readiness to dismiss frivolous claims as an abuse of process. “I subscribe to [ACJ Rooke’s] comments about the need for a cultural shift in civil litigation and to save the Courts and the litigants themselves from frivolous litigation.”

Justice Graesser pointed out that the estate trustee had previously passed her accounts, rendering may of the current complaints by the beneficiaries as res judicata. Further, the passage of time had rendered many of the claims by the estate trustee against the beneficiaries as statute-barred.

While the judge determined that he could not strike claims without hearing from the parties, he was able to continue a stay of proceedings, and not allow any of the parties to take any further steps without leave of the Chief Justice. The parties were, however, permitted to move to dismiss any existing claims. 

Justice Graesser concluded by advising: “I do not encourage the parties to continue their disputes in Court. From my extensive review of the Court filing from its beginning, I am satisfied that the parties have nothing to gain by continuing their fight.”

Thanks for reading.

Paul Trudelle