The defendant, Michel Royer, brought a motion to set aside default judgments totaling over $800,000 obtained against him by multiple plaintiffs.
The plaintiffs' claims arose from indignities to human remains committed by the co-defendant owner of a funeral home where Royer lived and volunteered.
Royer had retained a lawyer to defend the actions, but due to the negligence of his lawyer and the failure of the plaintiffs' lawyer to provide notice before noting him in default, judgments were entered against him.
The court applied the test for setting aside a default judgment, finding that Royer moved promptly upon learning of the judgments, had a plausible excuse for the delay, and possessed an arguable defence on the merits.
The motion was granted and the default judgments were set aside.
