By Heidi Lee, J Source
In June 2018, Toronto Star chief investigative reporter Kevin Donovan was looking to access the estate files of Barry and Honey Sherman, the billionaire couple found dead in their North York home in December 2017. But he found that the records were sealed.
The estate trustees successfully applied to seal the probate files, but the Star challenged the decision. Although the Court of Appeal lifted the sealing orders, the estate trustees brought the case to the Supreme Court of Canada.
After a three-year legal battle, the seal has finally been lifted, with the Supreme Court ruling in June that the files should be opened. Donovan, also the author of a 2019 book detailing the case, said the decision is “an important step forward” in asserting the media and the public’s right to access court documents.
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