Judge's name dropped from lawsuit tied to dispute over crab fisherman's estate
CBC
A lawsuit has been dropped against a justice of the New Brunswick Court of Appeal.
Charles LeBlond's name has been removed from a $13-million civil suit filed last summer by the widow and daughter of a former crab fisherman on the Acadian Peninsula.
Rita and Corinne Noël of Lamèque had accused LeBlond of being negligent when he represented them as a lawyer in 2013, during a dispute over the estate of Raymond Noël.
His widow, Rita, ended up getting none of the inheritance and losing all of her assets, which were distributed arbitrarily, according to court filings for the lawsuit.
LeBlond and another lawyer, Jocelyne Moreau-Bérubé, were alleged to have ignored several facts and arguments that would have helped Rita and Corinne's case against the rest of the family.
The lawyer for Rita and Corinne Noël could not be reached for comment Thursday about the latest development.
However, LeBlond's lawyer Bill Collette says he believes the decision to remove his client from the suit was based on him having a very good defensive case.
"He always acted in the best interest of the plaintiffs," said Collette.
He was "one of the best lawyers in New Brunswick."
LeBlond's subsequent judicial appointments bear that out, he said.
"They don't just name anybody" to the Court of Appeal, he said.
Collette had filed a statement of defence on LeBlond's behalf last fall and moved to have the action against him struck down.
The return date was March 22, Collette said, but before the motion was heard, the plaintiffs agreed to abandon the claim.
The lawyer for the other defendant in the litigation also signed off on LeBlond's removal on March 20.