Pet Owners Against Royal Canin Class Action
.
| TORONTO, March 20 /CNW/ – A national class action has been commenced on behalf of pet owners who have purchased certain types of dog and cat food manufactured by Royal Canin Canada Company. The claim seeks compensation for all those who have purchased Royal Canin dog or cat food since August 1, 2004. The claim, issued today in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, alleges that certain types of Royal Canin cat and dog food contain excessive amounts of Vitamin D, which cause severe illness or death in pets. The claim further alleges that Royal Canin was negligent in manufacturing and distributing the pet food, and that it knew or ought to have known that excessive amounts of Vitamin D are unsafe and leave dogs and cats vulnerable to developing conditions such as hypercalcaemia and renal failure. “Pets are like family members, death or chronic illness can have a devastating impact,” said Joel P. Rochon, co-lead counsel. “It would appear that some sectors of the pet food industry in Canada operate without any meaningful quality assurance and that the industry is largely self-regulating,” added David Himelfarb, co-lead counsel. The proposed representative plaintiff, Janet Grixti of Whitby, Ontario, stated: “If Royal Canin properly tested its products and recalled the dog food in a timely manner, my dog would not have developed chronic renal failure. He is a very young dog, and now he will have this costly condition for the rest of his life.” The allegations raised in the claim have not yet been proven in court. The plaintiff and the prospective class members are represented by the law firms of ROCHON | GENOVA LLP and Himelfarb Proszanski LLP. For further information: ROCHON | GENOVA LLP, 121 Richmond St. W, Suite 900, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2K1, Telephone: 416-548-9874, or toll-free: 1-800-462-3864, Website address: www.rochongenova.com; Himelfarb Proszanski LLP, 250 Dundas St. W., Suite 401, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2Z5, Telephone: (416-548-9874, Website address: www.himprolaw.com. |