Agreement in principle for $7.3 million in connection with the Westcourt Place fire

A tentative agreement has been reached in the class action lawsuit against the company that owns the Westcourt Place building, according to the lawyer representing tenants and former tenants of the downtown Windsor building.

The proposed settlement, worth $7.3 million, will be subject to a judge’s approval on March 6. The class action launched in 2022 instead demanded $35 million from the owner of the Westcourt Place on behalf of the 135 tenants.

Complainants will be informed of the agreement in principlesays the lawyer Harvey Strosberg.

More than 200 residents and several commercial tenants were displaced by the fire on November 12, 2019, which was sparked by an accidental electrical failure in the parking lot of the building located at the corner of Goyeau and Chatham Streets East.

More than five years later, those who maintained their leases have still not returned to their homes. According to Harvey Strosbergit could still be between 10 months and a year before they can find their accommodation.

The City of Windsor also indicated in an email to CBC what Westcourt failed to comply with orders issued after the fire and faces three provincial offense charges. The next hearing on these charges is scheduled for January 27.

CBC contacted the lawyers of Westcourt Placebut has not yet received a response.

The settlement amount, if approved, will be divided among the residential and commercial tenants as well as the insurance companies involved in the case, added Harvey Strosberg.

The lawyer could not specify how much each plaintiff could receive, but he indicated that residential tenants who terminate or have terminated their lease will be entitled to at least $5,500.

Disappointed former tenants

A former tenant of the building said he hoped the final amount would be higher.

If we only get $5,000, I think there will be a lot of tenants who will be really disappointed, because this has caused a lot of mental stress for a lot of people, and many are still displacedaffirms Chad Robinson.

So $5,000 is a bit of a slap in the face.

The former tenant still remembers the alarm that went off on November 19 and a neighbor knocking on his door to let him know that the fire was serious.

The staircase was dark and smoky, and Chad Robinson could smell the fire as he carried his dog to safety, he said.

In the days and weeks after the fire, he moved from a hotel room, to temporary housing paid for by his insurance company, to a rented house with friends.

Chad Robinson lost his dog in a tragic accident while living in temporary accommodation after the fire.

The former tenant estimates that the fire cost him between $5,000 and $10,000 out of pocket after compensation provided by insurance.

Now, every time he hears a fire alarm, it triggers a moment of panic, he says. He therefore does not intend to return to live in the building Westcourt once it becomes possible.

If another fire alarm sounds, it will [provoquerait] probably a nightmare againhe assures. And because I lost my dog…emotionally, I would probably never live [là-bas].

Tenants who object to the interim regulation have until February 19 to submit their objection in writing.

With information from Heather Kitching