CanadaConfirmed
Ontario's Court of Appeal upholds refusal to certify Jehovah's Witnesses child-abuse class action against Watchtower Canada
In Gutierrez v. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, a unanimous three-judge panel ruled on 23 September 2026 that the proposed class action disclosed no valid legal claim against the Society, holding that spiritual authority alone is not enough to create a legal duty of care, and upheld the finding that a class action was not the preferable procedure. It left in place the unchallenged finding that the unnamed Canada Branch was a necessary party. The court did not rule on whether any abuse occurred.