Human Rights Law in Ontario

It is very common for Applicants to settle their Application prior to a Hearing before an adjudicator. Applicants choose to settle for a number of different reasons. Very rarely however do applicants believe the settlement adequately compensates them for their losses (economic losses and pain, humiliation, and loss of dignity). Rather they settle for a variety of other reasons, including:

• Inability or unwillingness to “re-live” the events giving rise to the Application;

• The length of time it takes to get to the Hearing can deter Applicants who want to “move on” in their life and put the events behind them;

• Health issues;

• Applicants often have concerns with the fact that Tribunal decisions are made public and published on the internet at CanLII. Potential employers in the future may search the internet and discover that Applicants have commenced a human rights proceeding in the past against a previous employer and decide  not to hire them (this is a legitimate concern because such decisions by prospective employers are often very difficult to prove, even though a decision not to hire an employee on the basis of a previous human rights application however would constitute reprisal contrary to section 8 of the Code), and

• Risk-benefit analysis (Applicants are often in a poor financial situation following discrimination and if they are unable to prove their case before the Tribunal they will not receive any monetary award – A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush or so the old saying goes).

Applicants make significant sacrifices, both economically and emotionally, when deciding to settle. There is frequently an economic power imbalance between Applicants and Respondents. For many Applicants, they cannot afford to wait for or go through a hearing. The same cannot often be said for Respondents. Recognizing the particular vulnerability of those who have alleged discrimination, it is very important that Applicants have confidence that the settlement entered into will be honoured by the Respondent or the Tribunal will intervene appropriately.

There have been a line of cases recently, where Respondents have breached the terms of settlement. Most often, the Respondent has refused to pay or has delayed payment. While many may believe delayed payment is not a “big deal”, to an Applicant who is in dire need of money, it is a “very big deal”. A contravention of settlement also forces the Applicant to turn his or her mind to the issues once again, worry about whether or not they will receive the monetary amount, and have to deal with legal counsel if they are represented, likely incurring additional legal fees. Given the gravity of a breach of settlement, the Human Rights Tribunal should respond aggressively to discourage such acts. To date however, the Tribunal’s response has been lacking.

The Tribunal’s Response to Settlement Contraventions

The Ontario Human Rights Code gives the Tribunal the authority to make any order it considers appropriate to remedy a breach of a settlement agreement.[i] Here is an overview of some of the Tribunal’s recent contravention of settlement decisions:

In Xitimul v. Marriott Hotels[ii] the Respondent was 11 days late in making payment. The Respondent explained that the delay occurred as it had to reissue payment due to a tax deduction error with the initial payment. The Tribunal ordered $150.00 as monetary compensation for the contravention of settlement.

In Weitzmann v. Burns[iii] the Respondent failed to pay the settlement amount of $1,500.00 to the Applicant, explaining that the failure to pay was due to “minor health issues” which “led to serious health issues which he attributed to the applicant’s conduct towards him”. The Tribunal ordered the original $1,500.00 amount be paid. In addition the Tribunal ordered an additional $500.00 as a remedy for the contravention of settlement.

In Schenk v. Nixon[iv] the Respondent failed to pay $25,000.00 to the Applicant pursuant to the Minutes of Settlement. The Respondent explained the failure to pay, claiming to be in dire financial circumstances and “impecunious”. The Tribunal ordered the amount to be paid forthwith, however in the event that they are not paid the Respondent was required to deliver an irrevocable direction to his lawyer to pay the amount from the proceeds of another civil action where the Respondent was a Plaintiff. As a remedy for the contravention of settlement, the Tribunal ordered an additional $1,000.00.

In Medeiros v. Cambridge Canvas Centre[v] the Respondent failed to pay the settlement amount sum of $5,000.00. The Respondent argued that the Applicant breached the confidentiality provision in the terms of settlement and relied upon this alleged breach as an explanation for its failure to pay. The Tribunal ordered the Respondent to pay an additional $1,500.00 to remedy the contravention of settlement.

In Bailey v. Rock With Us Marble & Granite[vi], the most recent contravention of settlement decision (released by the Tribunal in September, 2013), the Respondent agreed to pay the Applicant $7,000.00 in seven installments. The Respondent was delayed in paying the settlement funds. After the Applicant filed an Application for contravention of settlement, the Respondent provided the remainder of the cheques owing. When the Applicant cashed the cheques however, they were rejected for “insufficient funds”. The Tribunal ordered the remainder of the amount owing to be paid and an additional $1,000.00 for monetary compensation arising out of the breach of settlement.

Conclusion

By the time Applicants get to mediation, they very rarely trust the Respondent. If Applicants feel they cannot count on the Tribunal to respond appropriately to contraventions of settlement, we may experience a “chilling effect” and significant decrease in the number of cases that settle.

Damages in the range of $150.00 to $1,500.00 may be insufficient to compensate Applicants for additional harm suffered and discourage future contraventions of settlement.  These damages seemingly do not reflect the fact that Applicants in these situations are typically “re-victimized” and put to greater expense and emotional turmoil with yet another Application to the Tribunal to recover what they are already entitled to.

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