The end of a long intermission

Only a few days are left until the Third Act opens on the Montreal tobacco trials. On Monday, September 22, the final arguments begin.

The plaintiffs are scheduled to present their case in September, with the defendants making their arguments in the following two months. (The calendar is pasted below. It may well change - caveat lector!)

The first two acts, as each side presented its evidence, were prolonged indeed. Since the curtain opened on this trial way back in March 2012, there have been 234 days of trial, 76 witnesses, more than 8,000 exhibits (not including several thousand news clippings) and 28 decisions written by Justice Riordan or the Court of Appeal. The trial record already exceeds 24,000 pages of transcript.

To this exhausting record some more thousands of pages were recently added. This summer Justice Riordan received four sets of written arguments: these "Notes and Authorities"will be the basis of the competing views that will be thrashed out in the coming weeks.

It promises to be a most interesting fall! Look for our first report early next week.

(Amended) hearing schedule