Canola Growers National Class Action
Merchant Law Group has launched a class action on behalf of 32,000 Canadian farmers who applied for cach advances through Agricultural Canada's Advance Payment Program, which is administered by the Canadian Canola Growers Association.
The program requires farmers to complete an application form containing personal and confidential information, including their name, address, social insurance number, bank account numbers, and permit book numbers.
On March 30, 2008, a lap top computer containing the confidential information of approximately 32,000 farmers was stolen, compromising the personal and financial information of these farmers and exposing them to identity theft and loss from their bank accounts.
On or about June 3, 2008, more than two months after the theft, Agriculture Canada sent out letters notifying farmers of their potential exposure.
If you have taken any cash advances through the Advance Payments Program at any time in the last five years, you should notify your bank of possible exposure and ask them to report any unusual transactions on your accounts. Ask your bank manager what other steps you need to take in order to protect your interests. You should also instruct your bank manager to put a notice of theft of personal information on your file.
You may wish to contact Credit Reporting agencies like TransUnion and EquiFax to advise them of the theft. You can reach TransUnion's Fraud Victim's Assistance Department at 1-800-663-9980. The Equifax Consumer Fraud Division can be reached at 1-800-465-7166.
Merchant Law Group LLP has 12 offices across Canada, with lawyers practising law in six provinces and an American state. Tony Merchant, Q.C., and his firm are well known for pursuing class action lawsuits in Canada including litigation regarding Complete Contact Lens Solution,Winners/HomeSense, Various Cellular Phone Fees, BCE Dividends, GM Gasket Manifolds, Hip Implants, Lead Paint in Toys (and similar consumer products), Maple Leaf, Celebrex/Bextra, Vioxx, Sony, Residential Schools, Zonolite and various other cases. Tony Merchant is known to be one of Canada's most active litigators with more than 600 reported cases in leading Caselaw Journals, having argued thousands of cases before the Canadian and American Courts, in Trial and Administrative Courts, and the Courts of Appeal of various American and Canadian jurisdictions, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Tony Merchant, Q.C., has a long history in pursuing public policy cases and is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.)
IF YOU HAVE TAKEN A CASH ADVANCE THROUGH THE CANADIAN CANOLA GROWERS ASSOCIATION DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS, PLEASE CONTACT MERCHANT LAW GROUP IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THIS CLASS ACTION OR TO SIMPLY GET MORE INFORMATION BY COMPLETEING THE BELOW FORM.(Please note, providing your information creates no financial obligation for you. You are not charged any fee or cost for joining this class action - we are simply paid a contingency fee from the compensation recovered, if successful.)
(Please note, in an effort to reduce Canadian spam, we enforce browser headers. What this means is you will have to disable any anonymous browser security such as Norton Internet Security just while you fill out and submit the form. If you are uncomfortable with this or just unsure how, please feel free to send the details asked for in this firm direct to me using the Technical support link at the bottom of the page, and I will be happy to add you myself.)