A certified national settlement has been reached with the De Beers Defendants that resolves all of the Canadian certified diamonds class actions regarding Gem Grade Diamonds. The De Beers Settlement was approved as being fair, reasonable and in the best interests of the class by the Ontario Court, the BC Court, and the Quebec Court. It is a condition of the De Beers Settlement that the Saskatchewan Court dismiss or permanently stay a class action proposed in Saskatchewan regarding Gem Grade Diamonds (Daniel Ammazzini and Olson Goldsmiths Inc. v. Anglo American PLC et al., Saskatchewan Court, File No. 877, Saskatoon Registry). That application will be scheduled once the parties are advised of the availability of the Court.
We apologize that the claims portal has been experiencing technical difficulties. If you experience difficulties, please contact the claims administrator at [email protected] or 1-877-563-7614 to request a claim form. Claimants who contact the claims administrator directly will have until March 8, 2024 to provide the claims administrator with a completed form. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Nous nous excusons des difficultés techniques affectant le portail des réclamations. Si vous rencontrez des difficultés, veuillez contacter l’administrateur des réclamations à l’adresse [email protected] ou au 1-877-563-7614 pour demander un formulaire de réclamation. Les personnes qui contacteront directement l’administrateur des réclamations auront jusqu’au 8 mars 2024 pour fournir à l’administrateur des réclamations leur formulaire de réclamation complété. Nous nous excusons pour tout inconvénient.
A settlement was reached with the following Defendants: Beers Canada, Inc., DB Investments, Societe Anonyme, De Beers S.A., De Beers Consolidated Mines Proprietary, Ltd., De Beers UK Limited (f/k/a The Diamond Trading Company Limited), CSO Valuations A.G., De Beers Centenary A.G., De Beers Canada Holdings Inc., Anglo American PLC, and Central Holdings Limited SA.
The settlement received court approval (settlement materials can be found below). The Settling Defendants do not admit any wrongdoing or liability. The settlement resolves the class action in full.
The settlement achieved in this litigation is CAD $9.4 million. The settlement funds, plus any costs awards and interest, and less court-approved legal fees, disbursements, administration expenses, and applicable taxes (“Net Settlement Amount”), are available for compensation to eligible Settlement Class Members.
Eligible Settlement Class Members are now invited to submit a claim for compensation.
If eligible, you are invited to submit a claim for compensation. If you opted out of this class action, you are not eligible to make a claim. For Settlement Class Members who have not opted out, please visit the claims website to make your claim: www.CanadianDiamondsClassAction.ca. The deadline to make a claim is February 6, 2024.
For more information, please read the below notices or refer to the claims website FAQ page:
The De Beers class action was commenced on behalf of residents of British Columbia who purchased a Gem Grade Diamonds (as defined in the Statement of Claim) in British Columbia from February 22, 1997 to the present. It is alleged that De Beers has engaged in a series of anti-competitive acts which have virtually eliminated competition, allowing De Beers to charge artificially inflated prices for its diamonds.
The jurisdictional issue was appealed to both the British Columbia Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada without success. The plaintiff’s application to certify the action was heard on April 7 – April 9, 2014. The class action was certified by Madame Justice Brown on December 2, 2014.
An updated statement of claim was filed on December 2, 2014 in the De Beers class action commenced on behalf of residents of Canada (excluding British Columbia) who purchased Gem Grade Diamonds (as defined in the Fresh as Amended Statement of Claim) between February 1, 1994 to December 31, 2011.
To access the court documents, click on the links below:
For further information concerning this action, please contact Betty Lee at 1-800-689-2322 or 604-689-7555, or email [email protected].
De Beers Settlement - View
De Beers – Certification Granted - View
De Beers Class Action: Jurisdictional Issue Appealed - View