USD18.4 billion class action against cellcos permitted by Supreme Court

A CAD19 billion (USD18.4 billion) class action suit alleging that mobile operators profited from unfair fees has been allowed to proceed by the Supreme Court of Canada. Reuters reports that the court declined to hear an appeal by the cellcos, including Rogers, Bell and Telus, against the lawsuit which claims that the operators engaged in ‘unjust enrichment’ in charging ‘system access fees’ or ‘licence administration fees’ on top of regular monthly fees. The extra fees have been largely phased out, but the suit seeks damages for around 20 years during which they were in place. The case can now be resumed in a lower court. Rogers called the allegations ‘unfounded’, while a Telus spokesperson claimed the suit was ‘without merit’.