In the case of Williams v. Vac Developments Limited, dated September 21, 2023, plaintiff Agin Williams, a qualified Aerospace Sheet Metal Mechanic, had been employed by defendant Vac Developments Limited, an Ontario Corporation specializing in aerospace and defense industry products, from January 2018 to June 2021.
On June 16, 2021, Williams was laid off by the company, and on June 21, 2022, he had learned that the layoff was permanent.
He had not received any settlement or statutory benefits upon his termination.
The company had claimed that the layoff was due to a COVID-19-related business slowdown affecting many skilled workers.
However, Williams had contended that he was laid off because he had demanded police intervention in response to racially motivated threats against his life at the workplace.
The case had proceeded to a section 137.1 motion under the Courts of Justice Act, designed to discourage strategic litigation limiting freedom of expression on matters of public interest.
The court had found that the company had failed to establish substantial damages from Williams' expression, and the public interest had favored protecting Williams' expression.
Consequently, the company's counterclaim had been dismissed.
The parties had been encouraged to resolve costs, and if not, submissions had been made following established timelines, as per the court's instructions.
