The plaintiffs in a proposed class action regarding beer pricing and market allocation in Ontario sought leave under s. 29 of the Class Proceedings Act to discontinue the action against the LCBO and treat it as an unnamed co-conspirator.
The court dismissed the motion as premature, finding that the discontinuance should occur, if at all, only after the close of pleadings, as the remaining defendants had not yet filed statements of defence and might assert cross-claims or third-party claims against the LCBO.
The court also found the evidentiary record inadequate to justify discontinuance.