OTTAWA – The Supreme Court of Canada will review an appeal court’s decision to unseal files related to the estates of wealthy Toronto couple Barry and Honey Sherman, who were found murdered two years ago.
In June 2018, a judge made orders sealing the files, which concern the appointment of estate trustees and would ordinarily be available for public inspection under the open court principle.
The sealing order stemmed from the notion that individuals named as beneficiaries or trustees of the estates would be at risk of harm because the Shermans were murdered.
Soon after, a court denied Toronto Star reporter Kevin Donovan access to the files.
The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the decision, saying the idea trustees would be at risk amounted to speculation and provided no basis for a sealing order.
As usual, the Supreme Court gave no reason for agreeing to hear the case.