Can’t Blame Canadian Company for Collapse of Supplier’s Plant in Bangladesh

Workers caught in a disastrous clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh in which over 1,000 people were killed went to Ontario court to sue the upstream Canadian company for whom the work was done claiming it had a duty to inspect and ensure the structural integrity of the building. The court refused to allow the class action lawsuit and the Court of Appeal upheld the dismissal, noting that the case was a matter of Bangladeshi law and that under such law, the lawsuit was not only too late but also barred by the fact that the Canadian company didn’t have direct control over the factory or any of its local clothing suppliers [Das v. George Weston Limited, 2018 ONCA 1053 (CanLII), Dec. 20, 2018].