Billionaire businessman represents himself in small claims court, loses $2,572
Halifax billionaire John Risley, one of Canada’s richest people and a leading philanthropist, represented himself in small claims court over a $3,000 claim from a tradesman — and mostly lost.
Risley, the co-founder of Clearwater Fine Foods with business interests worldwide, was sued by Ralph Gordon Spares, a contractor doing renovations on Risley’s home in a posh neighbourhood in south-end Halifax.
Spares sued Risley for damage to his 1994 Toyota Celica, after a piece of wood from an outdoor garden structure fell on it in June 2017.
“The claimant takes pride in this vehicle,” small claims adjudicator Eric Slone said of Spares in a written decision released Wednesday.