Canadian lawyer Rocco Galati facing a proposed class-action lawsuit over several COVID-19 litigation failures

The lawsuit, filed in the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, alleges negligence, breach of contract, and fiduciary duty in handling legal challenges to COVID-19 measures. It seeks over $6 million in damages, claiming that Galati collected millions in legal fees and donations while filing flawed lawsuits with little chance of success.

Plaintiffs, Lori Hand, Olga Collins, Lisa Wolfs, and Scarlett Martyn, argue that Galati and his firm drafted claims that courts called “bad beyond argument.” They allege serious procedural and jurisdictional errors. Instead of correcting these issues, Galati allegedly recommended costly appeals that also failed, increasing the financial burden on clients.

The lawsuit also claims unionized plaintiffs were misled when Galati advised them not to work with their unions, barring them from filing viable labour grievances. The CRC is accused of misleading donors by raising funds under the pretense of funding constitutional challenges, knowing the lawsuits had little chance of success.

Among the cases cited is the 2020 Ontario Action, filed to challenge vaccine mandates and masking. The 187-page statement of claim was struck for being overly long, incoherent, and improperly structured.

In April 2021, Galati launched the 2021 Ontario Action, which targeted public health officials and school boards over COVID-19 policies. Despite receiving at least $275,000 in legal fees from public donations, the lawsuit failed to advance, and no meaningful legal progress was made.

In June 2022, Galati filed the 2022 Ontario Action on behalf of 473 healthcare workers. The court struck it in December 2024, ruling most plaintiffs were unionized, and their claims belonged in labour arbitration, not the courts. Plaintiffs were ordered to pay $190,000 in costs. The lawsuit claims Galati knew the case had no reasonable chance of success but proceeded anyway.

In British Columbia, Galati represented plaintiffs in the 2021 British Columbia Action on behalf of Action4Canada. The lawsuit, spanning 391 pages, was struck down in August 2022, with the judge calling it “bad beyond argument” and ruling it failed to meet basic legal standards. Galati advised clients to pursue an appeal, leading to additional expenses. The BC Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal in February 2024.

Another lawsuit, the 2022 Federal Court Action, was filed on behalf of 600 federal employees challenging vaccine mandates. The court struck the claim in February 2023, ruling most plaintiffs were unionized and should have pursued grievances through federal labour laws.

Galati allegedly collected $600,000 in legal fees and an additional $120,000 in donations for an appeal. Despite losing the case, the lawsuit claims Galati encouraged plaintiffs to seek a further appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada without properly explaining the risks.

The statement of claim alleges that Galati’s strategy left his clients facing severe financial consequences, with some plaintiffs ordered to pay up to $200,000 in court costs. Plaintiffs are seeking an accounting of all funds raised, disgorgement of revenue, and general, special, and punitive damages totaling more than $6 million. The proposed class action aims to represent anyone who retained Galati’s firm or donated to CRC for COVID-related lawsuits between March 1, 2020, and the present.

You can get more information about the proposed lawsuit and join the class action at the link below.

https://westpointlawgroup.com/class-action/hand-et-al-v-galati-et-al/